Love and War
by Nayinator
Summary: "Chat..." Ladybug trailed off. I looked at her curiously, letting her know I was listening. "I wanna have a baby." Marinette and Adrien are married, akuma attacks are at an all time low. Can the pair balance their superhero and domestic lives? Or will the stress of living double lives come crashing down on them?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Marinette flounced into the living room, her hair pulled back in her usual pigtails, the red ribbon holding them together bouncing back and forth at her movements. A white measuring tape was loosely hanging around her shoulders contrasting her black jacket. She smiled at me wide from where I was sitting on the couch, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"What's got my wife so happy today?" I asked reaching for Marinette's hands. I loosely gripped them and pulled her down next to me on the couch. Marinette grinned and shrugged her shoulders, planting a soft kiss on my cheek. I grabbed the measuring tape and pulled it off her shoulders, tossing it aside onto the coffee table.

"I just finished my design," Marinette said gleefully.

"Really? Can I see?"

"Better than that," Mari started, draping her arms around my neck. "You get to model it."

"You made it for me?" I asked with a smirk, wrapping my hands around her waist.

Marinette shook her head, "I mean, kind of. It's for the company, but with the magazine deal your father made, you have to model it. Why do you think I took your measurements?"

"I forgot you took my measurements…" I mumbled. Marinette kissed me gently, her warm lips imprinting my skin for mere seconds before she stood up.

"Come on, kitty." She grabbed my hand and pulled me into the next room over.

The room was brilliantly lit from the natural light coming in through the tall, floor to ceiling windows that ran across the back wall. It was the only part of our house that reminded me of my old room.

After Marinette and I graduated from college, we decided to get a small place for just the two of us. The house was nothing compared to what I was used to, it had more of a homey feeling. It reminded me a lot of Marinette's parents' house. Each room was packed full of pictures and books, decorations and furniture. The walls were all painted a nice cream color and the dark, fishbone style wood floors extended into all the rooms throughout the two-story house.

Downstairs, there was the kitchen and living room. Down the hall a little way was a bathroom, Marinette's sewing room, and the guest bedroom (although we referred to it as the Alya and Nino Rental). Upstairs was mine and Marinette's bedroom with a connecting bathroom and another spare bedroom. When we first bought the place, we could never decide what to do with the bedroom, so we kept it empty.

I liked the homey feeling of the house better compared to the house I grew up in. It made me feel like I was really starting to work on a good future with Marinette. One that could lead to a family.

Marinette lead me to the far side of the sewing room where three mirrors were set up in a half-circle around a mannequin that was covered in a white sheet. I stepped up onto the small 3-inch high platform and covered my eyes, letting Marinette move around me to the mannequin.

I heard the soft fabric of the white sheet fall to the floor at my feet.

"Okay, open." Marinette said softly. I moved my hands from my eyes, letting my eyes rest upon Marinette's latest masterpiece.

She had created a Chat Noir inspired formal suit. The black suit-jacket had bright green thread embroidery decorating the inside fabric, appearing only over the folded down collar, and rolled up sleeves of the jacket. The design was hard to make out from farther away but close-up the green thread was in the shape of little kitten paws.

Beneath the jacket was a simple black button-down shirt with golden buttons. The pants were made of the same black fabric as the jacket, however each leg had a thin leather strip that started at the hip and reached all the way down to the loose ankle of the pants.

I reached out and touched the soft fabric, rubbing the collar of the jacket between my fingers.

"You designed this?" I asked astonished. Marinette's blue eyes lit up and a light pink blush spread over her cheeks.

"Yes. Do you like it?"

I circled around the mannequin, taking in every single inch of the design slowly, a grin tugging at the corners of my mouth.

"Marinette, this is amazing! Chat Noir definitely approves." I winked.

Marinette squealed excitedly. "Awesome! Good, now go try it on. I have to make sure it fits before I alert the magazine." Marinette danced around the mannequin, removing the suit and shoving the outfit into my arms. She pointed at the large walk-in closet that she had turned into the dressing room before rushing off to her desk to type furiously at the keyboard.

I lead myself away and changed quickly, refusing to look in the mirror until Marinette had seen me first. I loved getting her opinion on how I looked in the designs I wore.

I emerged from the dressing room quickly and silently, sneaking up behind Marinette. I snaked my hands around her eyes carefully.

"Keep your eyes shut, Mari." I said playfully. Marinette smiled, letting her arms go limp at her sides.

"Lead the way, Adrien." She replied. I moved my hands from her eyes trusting that she'd keep them shut, and took her hand, leading her to the platform.

I took my place in front of the mirrors and prepared a cheesy pose.

"Okay, you can open them." I decided. Marinette's bluebell eyes were revealed from beneath her eyelids and she laughed.

"What kind of pose is that?" She asked. "Aren't you supposed to be a professional?"

I laughed, getting out of my pose. "Hey! People pay me thousands to pose like that." I defended.

"It's a good thing your hot. Now turn around and let me look." Marinette crossed her arms across her chest and spun a finger in the air. I obliged to her commands, letting her look me over.

The suit fit perfectly, of course. Hugging my chest in just the right way. The embroidery stood out against my skin and really brought out the color in my eyes. I had left one of the gold buttons on the dress shirt unbuttoned to reveal my collar bone attractively. When Marinette noticed, she blushed.

"Adrien, this is a _formal_ suit," She scolded. "Button it all the way up."

"Come on," I teased, getting down from the platform. I grabbed Marinette's hands and placed them around my neck before sneaking my arms around her waist to pull her closer. Her breath hitched in her throat, making me smile. "I think it looks better like this. Especially if it makes my wife blush the way she's blushing right now." I rested my forehead against Marinette's lovingly, lazily glancing down at her lips.

Marinette traced my jawline with her fingertips, "I'm only blushing because you're so close to me, and all I can think about when you're this close to me is kissing you, which makes me blush."

"Thinking about kissing me make you blush?" I questioned softly, leaning into her touch.

"Well, why wouldn't it? You _are_ a good kisser…" She mumbled the last part while trailing her free hand down to my wrist to play with the bracelet that was clasped around it. It was my turn to blush.

"Why don't you kiss me then?"

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Gee, kitty, a little eager, are we?"

I dipped Marinette down, holding onto her waist tightly to hold her up. She erupted into a fit of giggles.

I shrugged and with a smirk said, "Maybe a little,"

Marinette reached out, pulling my head down to meet hers. She pressed her lips against mine lovingly with a smile still on her face. I stood her back up, my lips never leaving hers, letting her heat engulf me. She tugged at the hairs on my neckline eagerly with one hand and gripped the edge of my jacket with the other.

I slipped my hands beneath the hem of her white t-shirt, tracing the outline of her hips with my fingertips. Then, started moving my kisses from her lips to her cheek.

"Adrien," Marinette muttered.

"Hmm?" I asked, moving back to her lips. She kissed me back one more time, a long lingering, smoldering kiss. Then, she departed sadly.

"I'm destroying your suit." she said matter-of-factly.

I moved back a little and looked down at the wrinkled collar. Marinette tried to straighten it out, but I grabbed her hand and planted a kiss onto the soft skin near her knuckle.

"That's okay, I'll iron it back out." I said, nuzzling my nose into her neck. Marinette sighed, running her fingers through my hair in a constant, soothing motion.

"Out of your suit, Adrien. I'm hanging it back up to keep it safe until the shoot."

"You're beautiful," I whispered.

"Don't distract me kitty, out of the suit." Marinette backed up, but she was smiling. "Once you're out of your suit we can get back to what we were doing." She added quickly.

I smiled triumphantly. "I'll be back, Mi'Lady." I said with a bow, then ran off into the dressing room to change.

 **Hello fellow Miraculousers! This is the start to the story I've been working on for the past couple weeks. The rest of the story is still in outline form, but I will (hopefully) be writing consistenly enough to post new chapters every week. I will probably update the chapters as I go on, so keep an eye out for any changes! I really hope you guys enjoy this story!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Marinette lay next to me on the bed, covered up with the blanket. Her head lay on my bare chest, face barely illuminated by the sun shining in through the windows. Her eyelids were shut serenely, and her chest moved up and down slowly, matching her even breaths. One of Marinette's arms were wrapped around my torso tightly, a habit of her subconscious that she'd had since we were teenagers.

I lay my hand on top of hers carefully, trying to not wake her. It was these moments with Marinette that made me appreciate how far I had come. The crippling depression I had held around myself after my mom died had been changing me, turning me into something that I wasn't happy with. I would love to say that it was Plagg who helped me out of my slump, but really, it was Marinette. See, I would have done _anything_ if it meant that I could get out of my father's house. My desperate desire and Plagg's awful carelessness would not have been a good mix, but meeting Marinette that first day of school was what motivated me to want to do good things. Chloe's gum incident had almost turned Marinette against me and even just the thought of someone like Marinette not being able to stand me made me yearn to prove that I was better than Chloe had made me out to be.

If it wasn't for Marinette, I don't think that Chat Noir would have been a good guy.

A slight breeze came in through one of the open windows in our bedroom. Marinette shifted a little in her sleep as the cold air washed over her.

"Plagg," I whispered. No response. "Tikki?" I asked, scared to raise my voice.

Tikki came spiraling into the air from the walk-in closet on the other end of the room. Marinette and I had separated the closet into two parts, one part was kept as a closet, and the other was a little place for Plagg and Tikki to sleep and live in whenever Marinette and I wanted some privacy.

"What is it, Adrien?" Came Tikki's small voice. She smiled up at me, her purple eyes bright and optimistic.

I gave Tikki a kind smile, "Sorry to ask, but uh, could you do me a favor and shut the window? I don't want to wake her…" I trailed off, glancing down at Marinette shyly.

Tikki backflipped in the air happily, "Yes, of course I can! One second," she quickly flew over to the window and shut it as silently as she could. When she floated back over I gestured for her to come closer.

"There's extra cookies in the upper cupboards. Help yourself," I whispered. Tikki disappeared within seconds.

"You know," came Marinette's voice. I jumped a little, not realizing she had woken up. Marinette looked up at me with a smirk on her face, her bluebell eyes blinking sleepily. "If you do that with our future children, you're watching them _all day_."

I blushed, "W-what? I don't know what you're talking about…" I tried.

Marinette flicked my nose, "Hmm… Bribing Tikki _and_ lying to your wife. I declare that Adrien Agreste is officially on dish-duty tonight."

I groaned, "But, Tikki is so cute! How can I _not_ offer her extra cookies?"

"You're too easily bribed."

"I beg to differ. Plagg begs for more cheese all the time, and do I give it to him?"

"Yes."

"I do?" I asked.

Marinette sighed, "Every single time," she stated. Suddenly, I realized something. Tugging Marinette closer to my side, I ducked my head down and kissed her soft, pink lips.

Pulling back ever so slightly, I asked, "Did you say, 'future children'?"

Marinette bit her lip nervously, "Maybe?" I kissed her again, with more passion. She cupped my cheek gently, tangling her legs with mine. I tugged on the ribbons holding her hair together, pulling them out and letting them flutter to the floor. Marinette's hair fell around her shoulders, brushing my bare chest. I ran one of my hands down her arm soothingly, making her sigh against my touch.

"Mmhph." Marinette mumbled. I chuckled against her lips before separating, letting her speak. "This isn't getting you out of doing the dishes." She said.

I brushed her hair back over her shoulders and cupped her chin, "It was worth a shot." I decided.

"Come on, Adrien. We have that shoot with the magazine today." Marinette slid out from under the blankets, grabbing the nearest t-shirt and sliding it over her torso in one quick motion. I blushed when I noticed it was mine.

"We're always so busy," I complained, flopping back onto my pillow. "You know, I didn't think I would still be modeling this far into my adulthood. Maybe I should retire."

Marinette walked around the bed and sat on the edge near my feet, nearly squishing one of my legs. She placed a hand on my thigh tentatively.

"If you want to quit, then quit. Your father can easily hire another model to model my designs. You know what you could do? You could go back to the school and teach fencing. You love it and you're really good at it too."

I thought for a moment. She had a point. Modeling just wasn't something I wanted to keep doing. It was a great way to bring in money, but the only reason I was still doing it was to please my father. Teaching fencing sure did sound fun too… but if I was really thinking about our future, I didn't want to do either. However, I wasn't going to bring that up yet.

"I'll think about it Mari, but as of right now, I don't want anyone but _me_ to model your talent." I sat up and dragged myself out of bed.

I stood in the suit Marinette had made, a white backdrop sat behind me with bright lights bearing down on me from every angle. The cameraman was clicking away.

Marinette had gone into the next room over to run a meeting with some of the people who ran the magazine we were shooting for.

I switched through poses with ease, cracking jokes with the photographer to pass the time. When the heat from the lights finally became too much for me, I waved my hand.

"I need a break," I stated walking past the photographer. The photographer nodded and started adjusting some of the lights.

I grabbed a quick snack and a water bottle then sat down at the staff table just as Marinette came walking out of the meeting. My heart hammered excitedly in my chest upon seeing her. I quickly gulped down the rest of my food and approached her professionally. When we were at shoots or working, there was no contact unless we were talking business.

"How'd the meeting go?" I asked.

Marinette smiled a strained smile, "Oh, it went about how they normally go. I have to run downtown for some supplies. I'll see you at home." Marinette gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and was out the door before I could blink.

The photographer bounced over to me, shouting at me in French.

"Allez mec! Nous avons du travail a faire! Les modeles sont si exasperants…"

"I'm coming, I'm coming." I responded, dragging myself back over to the backdrop.

I didn't get very far before three people suddenly came bursting through the doors, breathing heavily and asking for help. I jumped to the side and slid behind a doorway quickly, checking to make sure that I was alone.

Plagg came zooming out from behind my jacket with a downed look on his face.

"Can't we have just one day off?" Plagg questioned.

I shook my head, "You can complain later, time to transform! Plagg, Claws out!" I yelled. I transformed quickly, loving the feel of freedom and confidence my alter-ego gave me.

I slipped out from behind the doorway and jumped out onto the streets of Paris, swinging myself onto the rooftops to view the damage that had already been done.

A girl rose high above the buildings of Paris, floating through the air with a devilish smile upon her face. She wore a medium-length dress that reminded me of something from the 60's. It was violently purple with majestic swirls starting at the top and continuing all the way down to the bottom of the dress. The girls red hair was hung down in audacious curls that framed her face dramatically. She held a dark green purse at her side, reaching her hand into it to pull out a vibrantly-colored floral printed hat. The akuma victim tossed the hat through the air, spinning it outwards like a Frisbee, anyone that the hat touched was immediately decked out in clothes from the 60's.

I swung my baton to the air and moved to higher ground to get the girls attention.

"Hey! What's got your whiskers in a bunch?" I called out. The girl turned around quickly, her smile dropping into a look of disgust.

"I am Rewind." The girl purred angrily, "I want to remind the world that fashion never ages!" Upon saying the last word, she reached her hand into her bag, once again pulling out items of fashion. Each item she pulled out seemed to be from different time periods. There was a jacket from the 80's, a jumpsuit from the 50's, even an Elvis wig. Each time she pulled out an item to throw at someone, the person would then appear in clothes from the matching time-period. It wasn't long before the streets were littered with people wearing fashion history.

I jumped through the air and swatted a few clothing items out of their intended aim, the items bounced uselessly off the gravel streets of Paris, dissipating into thin air.

"Come on, Ladybug. Where are you?"

"Miss me kitty?" A sound came from behind. I turned around quickly, watching Ladybug swing down to meet me on the streets by her yo-yo. She looked up at the victim and shook her head with a sigh.

"Do you know her?" I asked.

Ladybug shuffled uncomfortably. "Yeah, she was at the meeting. I dismayed her ideas for a few upcoming designs, which is probably why she's so upset."

I jumped to the right, dodging another clothing item. Once I was on my feet again, I shot Ladybug a comforting smile.

"Don't worry Bugaboo, we can fix this cat-astrophy no problem!"

"Less puns, more action!" Ladybug swung her yo-yo up and shot herself towards the akuma. I chased after her quickly, stopping for only a second to push a few civilians dressed like Elvis into the nearest building for safety.

Rewind had moved positions, floating down to the ground and walking the streets. She casually whipped out items from her bag and tossed them at the people that were scurrying away from the attack. I couldn't help but groan at some of the get-up people were now being forced to wear.

Ladybug circled back around and jumped by my side.

"She's avoiding us. We need to make direct contact with her, put all her focus on us. Then, she'll stop going after the civilians."

I nodded determinedly, "Lady's first." Ladybug lassoed her yo-yo through the air and catapulted at Rewind, smacking the girl in the back hard. Rewind turned around sharply, her red curls flinging through the air. She rose back up into the sky, the fire raging behind her dark eyes made my skin cold with fear.

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug yelled. I shook myself out of my daze and ran up to Rewind, readying my baton. The girl protruded a bright blue leather belt from her bag and gripped one end tightly in her hand to swing the belt through the air rapidly. The free end of the belt wrapped itself around my baton and tugged it out of my grasp, leaving me weaponless. My instincts kicked in, and I backed up fast before running full speed towards Rewind, pumping my legs effortlessly across the pavement. I used a fallen car to catapult myself up into the air, twisting my body mid-air to land on Rewinds shoulders elegantly. Rewind sunk down a few feet, struggling to hold up my extra weight.

"Chat, the bag!" Ladybug called out from the ground below as she tried miserably to get a good grip on one of Rewinds white go-go booted feet. I grasped wildly for the green bag that hung around Rewinds shoulders, but acted quickly, gripping my wrist tightly and flipping me back onto the ground.

"Feisty feline," I mumbled, rubbing my wrist.

Ladybug came speeding over, reaching a hand out to help me up.

"We defiantly got her attention." I said grumpily. Ladybug nodded, handing me my baton.

"It's time to catch that akuma. Lucky Charm!" The spotted yo-yo spun through the air, creating the object that would help us defeat the akuma. A giant top hat came spiraling back down into Ladybug's arms. "A top hat?" She questioned.

"Planning on running a magic show anything soon?" I teased. Ladybug gave me a small smirk, then glanced around her surroundings with a dignified focus. Finally, her blue eyes lit up with an idea.

"Take off your belt, I need you to tie up her ankle with it and pull her down. Once she's down, use your cataclysm on her bag. Let me take care of the rest."

"As you wish, Mi'Lady." I unhooked my belt from my waist and waited for Ladybugs cue. She tucked the top hat under her arm and threw her yo-yo through the air, letting it catch onto a building. Up she flew, disappearing from my side, but just before she was out of reach, I grabbed onto Ladybug's ankle and used the momentum to get closer to Rewinds feet. I let go of Ladybug and came hurtling down towards the earth. The end of my belt looped around Rewinds ankle as I went down, taking her down with me.

Ladybug swung over Rewinds head, dropping down with the top hat ready. The hat slid over Rewinds face, covering her view of the world. Rewind immediately reached up and started tugging on the hat, trying to remove it from her head.

I used my cataclysm to destroy the bag and just as Ladybug landed beside me, the akuma flew through the air.

The akuma was caught and purified within seconds. The villain taken care of.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" My wife shouted. We stood and watched in the setting sun as Paris slowly returned to normal, the akuma victim returning to her normal self.

Ladybugs earrings beeped in warning. "I gotta go. Bug out!" Ladybug flew off to de-transform. I walked up to the victim and put an arm on her shoulder. A sweet redheaded girl from the photoshoot looked up at me with worried eyes.

"What happened?" She asked fearfully. I smiled.

"Don't worry about it. Everyone deserves a second chance, and this is yours" the sweet girl took my outreached hand and let me help her up. Suddenly, Marinette came running down the street hurriedly, waving at the redhead.

"Marie! Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize how much those designs meant to you." Marinette wrapped Marie in a hug. Marie tensed up, waiting a moment, then sunk into Marinette's embrace gratefully.

"It's okay. Would you mind looking at them again? My little sister helped me work on them, she would love to get some feedback from you."

"Sure thing," Marinette stepped back from the girl. "I'll meet you back at the office."

The girl walked off, leaving Marinette and I standing in the street. Once Marie was out of sight, Marinette turned to me.

"Thank you, Chaton."

I grabbed Marinette's hand and planted a kiss along her knuckles. "Romantic dinner for two tonight? On your old balcony?"

Marinette scratched the spot between my ears lovingly, "I wouldn't miss it."

 **Hello Fellow Miraculousers! Guys I am so sorry my villain is so cringey! I might change this later. I won't be creating my own villains for much longer. I have** _ **much**_ **bigger plans in store for you all *laughs evilly***


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I walked through the front door to Marinette's old home. Sabine and Tom were just bringing out their after-meal dessert. A three-tiered chocolate cake with side dishes full of creamy vanilla ice cream.

I slung up my light blue scarf onto their coat rack and waltzed over to the couple.

"Hey guys," I greeted with a wave. Sabine looked up at me, her face lighting up. She immediately stood up and enveloped me into a snuggly hug.

"Adrien!" She beamed. "I'm so glad you're here."

I gave Sabine one final squeeze before letting go. With a soft smile on my face, I said, "It's good to be here."

Tom came up to me and gave me a nice firm handshake before resting his arm around Sabine's shoulders.

"What's brought you here so late?" Tom asked curiously. He gestured towards the table, offering me a seat. I sat down gratefully and slid three plates around the table as Sabine and Tom sat back down in their seats.

"Well, I was hoping to set up a dinner-date with Marinette on her balcony, if that's alright with you guys?" I asked sheepishly. Being around Marinette's made me nervous. The loving family-style home wasn't something I was entirely used to; however, I had been starting to get the hang of the feeling ever since Marinette and I had started dating.

Sabine smiled, sliding a piece of cake onto her plate. "Of course, we love it when you guys come here. You should really come more often, we hardly see you anymore."

Tom handed me the cake-knife, and I dug into the cake, taking out a small piece so I didn't ruin my appetite. "We've been so busy lately with the new magazine deal my father made. Marinette's been working really hard to finish all of her designs on time."

"Hence the sudden date-night?" Tom asked with a raised eyebrow. A light pink blush brushed my cheeks.

"Well, yeah. I figured she deserved something nice for all the work she's been doing lately."

Sabine put a hand on my shoulder endearingly, "Well, Tom and I were thinking of heading out to run a few errands for the bakery tonight. You guys can have the house to yourselves for a couple hours."

"Thank you," I smiled. "Marinette's been wanting to come home for a while, she'll love every minute she can get."

The three of us finished up our desserts quickly. The cake was so good that it took all my will power not to eat more. It was so moist, and the chocolate just seemed to melt in my mouth. Of course, the whole thing was handmade, all the way down to the sprinkles on top of the icing.

I made sure to thank Tom graciously.

Tom put away the left-over cake as I helped Sabine wash up the dishes. I watched from the window as the sun dipped lower and lower into the sky, consuming the world in darkness. Marinette would be done soon, and I couldn't wait for her to get here. The last time we had dinner on her balcony was shortly before we left for college. That was when I had asked her to marry me.

Alya had given me the idea to propose to Marinette on her balcony, knowing full well that I was already an expert at sneaking onto it. Neither of us mentioned that to Sabine when pitching the idea. Sabine had assisted in setting up the romantic atmosphere. Tom had supplied the engagement goodies.

I still remembered how awkward it had been for me to ask Marinette's parents if I could have her hand. The jittering nerves wreaking havoc in my stomach. The sweaty palms, the ring, the speech. Luckily, Sabine and Tom had been more than ready for me to ask their daughter for marriage.

"You can go set up upstairs," Sabine said, pulling me out of my thoughts. I grabbed a plate from her and dragged a dry towel over its surface distractedly.

"Are you sure you don't need any more help cleaning up?" I asked.

Sabine dipped her hands back into the soapy water and pulled out a glass cup, scrubbing it indefinitely.

"I'm sure. Thank you, Adrien."

I pecked Sabines cheek and slid the plate I had been drying into the dish rack. As I passed Tom, I handed him the dish rag, then ran up the ladder steps that led to Marinette's bedroom.

Nothing about her room had changed since we were teens. Her bed was still wrapped in familiar pink bedding, filled to the brim with giant, fluffy pillows. Beneath her bed was her long desk with her computer shut off and her sewing machine gone. That was one of the only things she really wanted to take out of her old room. Her mother had given it to her as a present when she was younger, and Marinette couldn't bear leaving it behind as she entered adult-hood.

I walked over to the window and glanced outside. The moon had finally started to rise over Paris, streaking the ground with its luminescent rays.

Plagg flew out from behind my white button-down shirt with a goofy grin on his face.

"What do you want, Plagg?" I asked.

"You're gonna need Chat Noir's help for the romantic night you have planned."

I rolled my eyes, "I'm not going to need…" I trailed off, thinking. "Actually, I do. Thank you Plagg. Claws Out!" My Chat Noir persona enveloped me, and I jumped out of Marinette's bedroom window, bouncing along the rooftops of Paris quickly.

It took me less than five minutes to get everything I needed.

I swiftly landed on Marinette's balcony just as she pulled up to the house in her car. My cat-senses could pick up the sound of the door opening and closing beneath me, Sabine and Tom greeted Marinette warmly.

"Okay Plagg, Claws off." I de-transformed in seconds, Plagg collapsed into my hands dramatically.

"Ah, so drained, so tired…" Plagg moaned. I dug into my pocket and pulled out a piece of Camembert.

"Here you go, buddy." Plagg jumped up and took the cheese, shoving the whole slice into his mouth eagerly.

While Plagg munched on his cheese, I quickly set up the balcony. Candles lined the perimeter, dinner for two sat in the middle of the scene, warmed and ready to go, courtesy of Alya's mom who had prepped the meal in advance. A single red rose was sitting in a thin glass vase near Marinette's plate.

I sent Plagg down to Marinette's room. I had set up a small buffet for Plagg and Tikki to keep them busy while I spent some time with my girl.

I was just lighting the last of the candles when Marinette appeared at the trap door. Her short black hair was tied back in its usual red ribbon, but she had applied light make-up and dressed up for the occasion. She was wearing one of the dresses her mother had gotten her a long time ago, a simple red skater dress with quarter sleeves that hugged her middle with a small black bow. Marinette was absolutely stunning.

"Adrien," she gasped, a romantic gleam in her eye, "this is… beautiful."

I walked over and offered a hand. Marinette took it delightedly, climbing the rest of the way out of the door. She suddenly stood very close to me, keeping her hand intertwined with mine.

"Only the best for my Puurincess." I purred, planting a kiss on the inside of Marinette's wrist. She smelt so sweet, like fresh-baked cupcakes. Marinette chuckled sweetly, using her free hand to run her fingers through my blonde hair lovingly. Her blue eyes never left mine, and the happiness that filled them made my heart flutter with joy.

I walked Marinette over to the food, which she dug into hungrily. I laughed when she looked up at me, mashed potatoes dripping from her chin.

"You got a little something," I laughed.

Marinette shot me a stink eye and swiped her chin with a napkin, "Speak for yourself, chocolate nose."

My face fell, my fingers fumbling along my face to find my nose. A small dot of chocolate icing was smeared along the tip of it.

I scratched the back of my neck shyly, "Uh, well, it was your _dads_ cake. How could I possibly say no?"

Marinette simply smirked and reached over the table, scrubbing my nose with the clean side of her napkin. Her eyebrows knit together with focus, and her blue eyes were lit brilliantly by the candles along the balcony.

Marinette finally deemed my nose clean and sat back in her chair. I raised an eyebrow up at her.

"What?" She asked. "Do I still have some food on my face?" Marinette reached her hands up to feel but I quickly shook my head.

"No, you're just so _beautiful_ today. How did I get so lucky?" I placed my elbows on the table and rested my chin on my fists, staring up at Marinette through my eyelashes adorably. A playful smile appeared on Marinette's face as she put down her fork.

"My theory is the bracelet," Marinette teased, pointing at my wrist. I looked down at the green flower bead pressing into my wrist with a smile.

"Mmm, I think it was your Lucky Charm."

"That was my Lucky Charm,"

"But now it's mine." I countered.

"Then what lucky charm are you talking about?"

"This one," I tapped my finger on the bracelet.

"That doesn't even make sense." Marinette crossed her arms, annoyance filtering across her face.

"It does if you consider it your heart."

Marinette thought for a moment, trying to understand. Then, a smile erupted on her face. "You smooth kitty. I gave you my heart."

"Seven years ago, to the day." I uttered slowly.

Marinette stuffed her last bite of food into her mouth. "Seven years ago?"

"Mmhmm," I nodded thoughtfully, tracing circles onto the tables surface with the tip of my finger. The moon was starting to creep up over our heads, brightening the area around us. "You were fifteen, I was sixteen. I had a crush on you then, but when you gave me this bracelet I swear I fell completely head-over-heels in love with you."

Marinette stood up and walked over to my side of the table, slithering onto my lap. I wrapped my arms around her soft waist as she draped her arms around my neck, placing her forehead against mine. Marinette's light breath brushed my cheeks warmly as she spoke.

"I love you, Adrien."

"I love you, Marinette." and I kissed her. Marinette's warm skin against mine, fingers running through and tugging on my hair. I sighed into her embrace, squeezing her hips with pleasure. She traced one of her hands down my cheek, along my neck, and rested her palm against my collar bone. I bit her lip seductively.

"Mari," I mumbled distractedly. Marinette smiled against my lips, pressing harder with her next kiss. I melted into her, loving her feel, her touch. The small fires that burned on my skin where she touched me, and the cool air that replaced the area after she left.

Finally, I parted from her. A sad look crossed her face. The moon was now hanging right above us, enveloping us in light.

A soft smile spread across my face as I reached out, caressing Marinette's cheek. She sat there breathlessly, gathering her senses. I chuckled.

"On a scale of one to ten, how is this date going so far?" I teased. Marinette groaned, rolling her eyes and slumping against my chest.

"I'd say about a zero."

"Hey!" I protested, hugging Marinette closer to me. She nuzzled her nose into my neck comfortingly. I let my gaze travel down to her bare legs to admire their beauty. They were crossed at the ankles, toes barely touching the floor with the way she was sitting cradled in my lap. One of her hands rested on my chest and the other was wrapped around my torso playing with the hem of my t-shirt at my lower back.

"I docked a couple point because you asked." Marinette stated.

"Only a couple?"

Marinette sat up straight, her dark hair slipping over her shoulder. I reached up and tugged the ribbons out, watching her hair fall the rest of the way down her back.

Marinette ran a hand through her hair, making a disgusted face.

"Why do you like it like this?" She inquired.

I small smile tugged at the corner of my lips, "It reminds me of my mother's hair."

"How?" Marinette asked softly.

"When I was younger, my mom would come tuck me into bed and her hair would be down like this. I remember one time, I had this horrible nightmare and she came running into the room to make sure I was okay. She scooped me up into her arms, and I just buried my face into her hair and cried. It was so fluffy and soft that it immediately soothed me. It was like putting your face into a pillow."

Marinette's eyes softened as I told the story and she allowed me to run my fingers through her hair absent-mindedly. When I finished, Marinette stood up and walked over to the balcony's railing, staring up at the stars.

I walked up beside her, sliding my arms around her waist and placing my chin on top of her head. The cool Paris breeze tousled my hair to the side as Marinette put her warm hands on top of mine and sunk into my embrace, pressing her back against my chest.

"Adrien?" She questioned.

"Hmm?"

Marinette hesitated, drawing out the seconds. Her eyes wandered across Paris, flicking from the moon to the Eiffel Tower and back again. Finally, she drew out a breath and said, "I want to have a baby."

 **Hello fellow Miraculousers! Sorry for all the lovey-dove-y-ness. I know you're all probably done with it. More action-packed scenes are on the way though, that I can promise you all! Thank you, guys, for the support on this story so far, I love you all for it!**

 **(btw, I'm super excited for you guys to read the next chapter.)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Millions of emotions swirled through me like a whirlpool. Baby. Marinette wanted to have a baby. With me. Baby with me.

Oh. My. God.

My mind was freaking out. Happiness, excitement, fear, anxiety, all these emotions gripped at my heart, pulling it this way and that. My stomach churned with nervousness and my head spun with excitement.

I twisted Marinette around in my arms and cupped her face in my hands.

"Say that again."

"I want to have a baby, Adrien."

Love. Definitely love now. Filling me to the brim, starting from my toes and rapidly filling my body all the way to my head. I couldn't do anything but squeeze Marinette into a tight hug, tears of joy threatening to spill over my eyes. I feared that if I let go of her, that I would fall over.

"A baby?" I managed.

"Yes," Marinette whispered. I let go of her face and held her shoulders, a grin growing over my face. The tears finally spilling out.

"I want a baby. I want a baby so bad, Marinette." I kissed her, hard. God, I never knew that I could love a person so much.

Marinette quickly separated, biting her lip nervously, "But, we have to talk about a few things first." She said.

I shook my head, smiling, "I know, I know. I just…" I looked into her deep blue eyes. A smile was threatening her lips, but she was obviously fighting it back. Worried about what we needed to talk about.

"Adrien, Chat Noir can't fight without Ladybug." Marinette stated firmly. I dropped my hands down to hers and gave them a comforting squeeze, my smile slowly fading but the excitement within me still boiling over.

"Marinette, I don't care. Not right now, let's just enjoy this." I kissed her forehead, and finally she let her smile loose.

"Are we really going to do this?" Marinette asked, tugging me closer for support.

I nodded against her head, "We are, bugaboo, we really are."

...

"The car is waiting, sir," Natalie said blandly. I wiped my hands off on a napkin and tossed the napkin onto my half-eaten dinner plate.

"Thank you, Natalie. That'll be it for the night." I said gruffly. I rose from my seat, high and tall, pushing my glasses up onto the bridge of my nose. My hand found its way into my pocket where I gripped the Papillion Pin tightly, rubbing my thumb over the soft jewel in its middle.

I rushed passed Natalie and slammed open the front doors, emerging onto the dark Paris night. The moon had just begun to rise over the horizon, barely illuminating the streets below it.

A large silver car was parked in the driveway, my son's bodyguard waited for me with the passenger door open. I slid in quickly, wanting to hurry this along.

We drove for what felt like hours, arriving at the Arc de Triomphe late into the night. I got out of the car stiffly, instructing my bodyguard to come back in an hour. Once the car was out of sight, I turned around and walked towards the Arc.

Its massive structure looked intimidating in the night light, shadowed by the brilliant moon. I walked up and touched the detailed carvings dug into its face, and I waited. Waited for the clock to hit its mark, waited for the moon to finish it's descend over Paris, peaking the night sky and highlight the area with its brilliant rays.

Then, he came. Emerged from the shadows cloaked in a dark hood. I stood up straighter, giving the man a slight bow.

"Gabriel Agreste," The voice was scratchy and rough, as though the man had spent his whole life screaming at the top of his lungs. "What gives me the honor?"

"Adelram," I stated his name clearly, refusing to show fear, "Do you have the information I seek?"

"Patience, Gabriel. After all, a trade is a trade…" Adelram uttered richly, speaking each word with his deep tone intimidatingly. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a hair pin, designed like a peacock. The jewels glistened under the moon, making the purples and blues swim throughout the pin as though someone had captured the aura borealis in its surface.

I touched the middle of the bird and whispered, "Sorry my love," then shoved the pin into Alderam's outstretched palm.

I didn't want to give the hair pin up, it was one of the last things I had of hers. One of the only things that I had kept away from Adrien. The object was most precious to her, having been passed down to her from her great-grandfather. It was the one thing that I would never give up.

So, of course, I gave it up. The information I sought after was of much higher worth than that final piece of her.

"Mmmm," Alderam mumbled, turning the object over in his hands. "This feels so much more… _powerful_ than I imagined it would."

"What are you talking about?" I asked curiously. Alderam swiftly tucked the hairpin under his cloak and suddenly grabbed me by the neck, raising me up into the air. The sudden movement had shifted his hood enough for me to see his eyes, beady yellow, like a raven. His pupils were wide and round, boring into my soul.

"Enough! You ask too many questions!" Alderam screeched into my face. I reached for his hands, panic swelling inside me. _Mistake, this was a mistake._ It was all a mistake. Air flew out of my lungs into the sky and struggled to get back in, my feet kicked hopelessly at the limbs of the man before me.

Alderam simply smiled and set me back down onto the ground, "Ah, dear boy, patience is not your virtue." I collapsed onto my knees, desperately gasping for air.

"You almost…" I heaved. "Killed me!"

" _Tsk tsk tsk,_ Gabriel, a trade is a trade. I've no reason to kill a man like you. Now, stand up." Alderam waved his hand in the air and I rose to my feet.

" _The information,_ " I said through gritted teeth. I hated being played like this. If I were Hawk Moth, I could easily take him down. Gabriel, however, didn't stand a chance.

Alderam reached into his pitch-black robes and protruded a long, rolled up scroll. The paper was yellow with age, and the edges had started to crumble.

I took the scroll from Alderam wearily, fearful of its destruction with a simple touch. Alderam took a step back under the arc, stepping into the shadows.

"Until we meet again, Agreste." He said with his dark tone. His hand waved into the air once more and the wings of a Raven sprouted from behind him, folding him up, and popping him into nothingness.

Alderam was gone.

I quickly fumbled with the scroll, unraveling its frayed tie and spreading it out across the ground. Egyptian lettering and symbols were sprawled out across the paper, from what little I could already understand, I knew it had all the information I needed and more. I could taste the power on my tongue as my lips curled into a smile.

"I've found it, Nooroo. I've finally found it."

 **Hello Fellow Miraculousers! A new villain you may ask? Well, let's just say I've got something evil in store for you all.**

 **No, really, this guy is important. Don't forget about him.**

 **Love you guys thank you so much! (I know I spelt Natalie's name wrong, sorry guys!)**


	5. Chapter 5

* **Hello Fellow Miraculousers!**

 **I needed to give you guys a quick background of what's to come. (It has a little to do with Season 2, but the info is nothing big, so I think it's safe to read ahead.)**

 **The rest of this story is sort of based on a fan theory about the new Miraculouses that have been revealed.**

 **The theory connects the new Miraculouses to some of the other students at the school. The theory also shows us what animal each miraculous could represent.**

 **Here's the list of all the Miraculouses and their holders for future reference for this story.**

 **Kim-Dragon**

 **Max-Dog**

 **Juleka-Ox**

 **Rose-Pig**

 **Ivan-Ram**

 **Myelene-Snake**

 **Alix-Tiger**

 **Sabrina-Monkey**

…

 **Chapter 5- One Week Later**

"Babe?" Marinette calledfrom the bathroom. I scurried around the bedroom with drooping eyes, digging through my dresser drawers quickly to find a t-shirt. The morning light streaming in through the windows blinded me.

"Just a second," I mumbled sleepily. I hated mornings.

"Adrien," she called out again. "Can you come here a second?"

I hurriedly tugged a plain white t-shirt on over my head and grumbled a few words about Marinette's impatience as I swung open the bathroom door.

Marinette stood by the sink, leaning over its porcelain surface. Her short hair was tucked into a high bun. Two strands of her blunette hair brushed her cheeks by her ears. She wore a simple white t-shirt and light pink pajama shorts that were pulled up just a little too high over her waist. Marinette's face looked pale, and her skin looked clammy, as though she were sick.

"Is something wrong? Do you feel okay?" I asked, leaning against the doorway. Marinette looked up at me with wide blue eyes, gleaming with happiness. She shook her head a gestured for me to come closer with a grin on her face.

Peeling myself from the doorway, my bare feet stalked across the cold, white tile floor as my heart raced in anticipation. I didn't know why Marinette had called me into the bathroom, but the happiness she showed on her face made me fly.

When I got to Marinette I wrapped an arm loosely around her waist, "Is something wrong?" I repeated.

Marinette bit her lip and tucked one of the loose strands of hair behind her ear. The world seemed to spin slower, time moving as though it were trapped in one of the Bubblers Time Bubbles, every second stretching into a minute, and every minute stretching into an hour. I knew then, that this moment was a new chapter for our lives. This moment was when the author decided to place a period, click enter, and indent for a new paragraph, readying their fingers above the keyboard, eager to begin again. This was the moment that one page of my life had been filled and another had begun.

I pressed my fingers into Marinette's palm, clutching onto her tightly as she spoke the words, the sentence slipping from her mouth with ease. Her voice was soft, full of love and fear, and suddenly, the world wasn't slowing down anymore, but speeding up, spinning faster and faster nearly knocking me off my feet as though it were trying to catch up.

Marinette's voice processed through my brain, her words leaving an imprint on my memory forever.

She pointed at the sink with a shaking hand.

A little white pregnancy test with a little pink plus sign sat in the dip of the sink, illuminated by the fluorescent lighting attached to the wall.

"Adrien, I'm pregnant."

….

 **[Three Months Later.]**

"Will you _please_ get the door _Chaton_." Marinette asked impatiently while leaning down to pick up an armful of decorations. I dropped the décor I was holding and nearly slipped on a piece of ribbon that lay on the ground trying to get to the door. Maneuvering around another pile of baby stuff, I unlocked the door and swung it open. Alya and Nino stood at the door, large smiles on their faces and food in their hands.

"Adrien!" Alya beamed, "We heard you guys needed some help getting the baby shower set up?"

I nodded gratefully, reaching out to give Nino a large hug. "It's so great to see you guys." The relief in my voice had to have been obvious, but I was beginning to realize that baby showers were a little too much for two people to handle on their own. We needed all the help we could get.

Alya stood up on her tiptoes to look over my shoulder.

"Where's Marinette?" She asked. I let go of Nino and smiled at Alya.

"Living room." I told her. Alya squealed excitedly, shoving the food she held into my arms before pushing past me to run and greet Marinette.

I looked at Nino, but he simply adjusted his baseball cap and shrugged his shoulders, "She's excited for the baby." He said.

I bumped our front door shut with my shoulder then led Nino through the maze of baby stuff and into the kitchen. Together we set the dishes up in a buffet-style across the dark counters of the kitchen. The sound of the girls giggling from the living room carried over into the kitchen as we worked, and I couldn't help but smile as some of their conversation. They were discussing different names for the baby. One was spoken that I particularly liked a lot. But, I didn't say anything.

Nino caught me smiling and gave my shoulder a little nudge, "Hey dude, this is kind of a crazy future you and Marinette have goin' on huh?"

I nodded, "Yeah, Nino. Can you believe we're going to have a baby?"

"I'm just glad it finally happened, Alya has been waiting for you two to have a baby for years. It's practically all she ever talks about." Nino picked up a stack of plates and set them down on the counter carefully, stepping back to admire his handy work.

I poked Nino in the ribs playfully, "When are you and Alya going to have a baby?" I teased. Nino stiffened and adjusted his red baseball-cap nervously.

"Well-uh-I…"

"I'm just teasing, man. Here, help me with the punch."

Once we had gotten all the food set up in the kitchen, Nino and I grabbed a box of balloons and stepped outside to decorate the porch. My feet were planted firmly onto the rungs of a tall ladder and Nino handed me balloons from the ground. Every time I bent down to take a balloon from him, I couldn't help but notice how pale he was. Fear seemingly struggling to be kept down. Every passing minute was like walking on eggshells. Nino obviously had something on his mind, something just begging to come out, but he seemed to be trying to force it back down for my sake. Eventually, he couldn't even look me in the eye.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I hopped down from the ladder and placed a hand on Nino's shoulder. "Something wrong man? You're acting like something's bothering you."

"Dude, we need to talk about something." Nino sputtered, rubbing his bracelet back and forth on his wrist, the green turtle shell stood out against his dark skin.

I glanced through the sliding glass door into the living room where Marinette and Alya sat on the couch together, crafting some take-home thank you goodies for the baby shower. Alya reached over and placed her hand on Marinette's small protruding belly, talking to the baby amorously.

I gripped the nearest rung of the ladder for support. Nervousness flew down into my stomach like a swarm of akuma's had suddenly sprouted up from my insides. It had been quiet for too long with Hawkmoth, and I had a feeling what Nino was about to tell me had something to do with it.

"Adrien," Nino placed his hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him worriedly. After Marinette had gotten pregnant, we had a lengthy discussion about what changes had to be made with our lives. We hadn't expected the moment to come so soon, after all, plenty of people had difficult times getting pregnant, we figured that we would be among those who needed time to conceive. However, we got lucky. It was thrilling, but it also had meant that we needed to figure out the Ladybug situation on the spot instead of working out a plan over time.

Together, we agreed that Alya would take Marinette's place as Ladybug until after the baby was born, because we still needed someone who could purify akuma's. Alya took the role graciously, and we were all careful about keeping the change of Ladybug's under wraps with the news. But, that meant that Alya would have to give up the fox miraculous for a short while and keep it somewhere safe.

If something was worrying Nino, it had to be connected to Hawkmoth, and if it was connected to Hawkmoth, it had to be connected to the switch of miraculous.

Nino continued solemnly, "Alya's Miraculous is gone."

I froze, a coldness seeping my skin.

" _What?_ "

"There's no way anyone could have stolen it, it was like it just vanished, dude. We kept it locked in that high-tech box you gave us. Not even a flea could have gotten to it without being noticed. We… just can't explain it."

I rubbed my temples, stress tearing at my mind. Nino looked at me deeply, a concern growing across his face.

"It's okay man," I said tightly, "we can figure this out. Don't mention anything to Marinette until after the baby shower. I don't want her to get worried."

Nino gave me a short nod and a pat on the back before sliding open the glass door and strutting over to Alya. I watched from the open doorway as Nino jumped over the miscellaneous decorations that were sprawled out on the ground to reach Alya and Marinette, softly kissing Alya on the cheek before sitting down on the couch to help tie yellow ribbons onto the gift bags.

I turned around and leaned my back against the doorframe. A sudden cold breeze came rolling across my skin, chilling me to the bone. The fox miraculous was gone. Hawkmoth had to have taken it, but how? Could he get his akuma's to do something like that? They were embedded with magic, and a high-tech box couldn't stop something as powerful as magic.

"Adrien," Marinette called out gleefully, interrupting me from my thoughts. Quickly, I rubbed the stress from my eyes and turned around with a forced grin on my face.

"Yes, bugaboo?" I purred flirtatiously. For a split second, I saw Marinette's face change into something of concern. She knew something was wrong, she could always tell, but in the blink of an eye her expression went back to its happy state. Marinette's smile had this crazy way of melting away all the pent-up stress inside me, almost like taking in a breath of fresh air after being stuck inside all day.

"The baby, it's kicking." She said. The words made my heart flutter. My legs moved without a second thought, pushing me through the doorway and carrying me to the couch. I leaped over the back of the couch and plopped down beside Marinette, accidentally bumping Alya out of her seat. When I pressed my hands against Marinette's belly I could feel my pulse beating against her skin, matching the frantic beating of my heart.

The room was silent as I waited. The only sound was the clock ticking mutely from the next room over.

I was just about ready to give up when I felt it. The small _bump_ of a baby's limb pressing into the palm of my hand. The touch was like magic, starting from the palm of my hand and growing throughout my entire being, flooding me with light.

 _Bump._ It kicked again, and my hand bounced up from Marinette's belly. I looked at Marinette, happiness burst from her eyes as she reached out and cupped my cheek.

"Do you feel it?"

"Yes, Mari. I feel it. It's so strong." I felt tears starting to spill over, but I fought them back. I couldn't cry, I was a man. Crying was for women. But, the baby, it's small little touch was something short of a miracle. The tears came flooding out joyously.

Marinette wiped a tear off my cheek with her thumb and kissed my lips tenderly.

Then suddenly, I was being shoved out of the way by Alya who shouted, "My turn to feel! Out of the way. Auntie Alya wants feel Mystery Baby too!" Alya pressed her hands into Marinette's belly, as did Nino after some coaxing from the three of us. Nino's face lit up when he finally felt it kick, the gleam in his eyes said it all.

Then, Alya sat up, hands on her hips with sass. She pointed at Nino threateningly, "Why don't _we_ have a baby yet?" Nino sat there, puzzled, stuttering over his words. I smiled at him teasingly and Marinette hid her face in Alya's shoulder, trying to hide her laughter.

Saved by the bell. Nino scrambled for the door and swung it open.

Guests came flooding in left and right. First, Max and Kim showed up bearing crudely wrapped gifts and a bundle of diapers. Next, Nathanael popped in with a handmade coloring book he designed specifically for the baby, filled with outlines of Ladybug and Chat Noir, along with additional pages of Rena Rouge, Queen Bee, and Carapace. The ultimate superhero fighting team.

After Nathanael came, Sabine and Tom arrived, bearing too many gifts to count. It took both Nino and I to carry all the gifts into the house from their car. The rest of our high school class then followed Sabine and Tom. Alix, Rose, and Juleka. Ivan and Myelene. Even Chloe and Sabrina, (with lots of complaining on Marinette's part).

My father came too, albeit fashionably late, but I was still glad he came. I greeted his cold stare at the door and was just about to lead him out into the living room when he stopped me short.

"Adrien,"

"Yes, Father?"

"Where is that friend of yours… Nino?" He questioned deeply. I shuffled back and forth nervously on my feet. For some reason being around my father made me feel unsettled. His face held too many secrets that I could never crack, too many painful memories were clouded by his unnaturally cold stare.

"Why do you want to know where he is?"

Father pulled up his red and white tie, glancing around the room quickly, "I wanted to talk to you boys about something. Find him and meet me out on the porch." With that, my father was gone.

I sighed and went off to find Nino.

When we got out onto the porch, the sun had peaked in the sky, bearing its summer heat down onto our backs. My Father stood tall and brooding on the cluttered porch, and when Nino and I emerged from the house, he gestured for us to sit down on two hard plastic lawn chairs. Gabriel seemed calm and collected, his breathing even and posture perfect.

After a few minutes of silence, he finally spoke. "I just wanted to say that… I'm proud of you boys."

Silence. Nino and I looked at each other curiously, unsure of what to say.

"Uh, what do you mean dude- I mean- sir?" Nino questioned.

My father sucked in a breath, obviously having a difficult time forming together the words that he wanted to say to us. "Well, Adrien, you're going to be a father now. And Nino, you're my sons best friend, my grandchild's future uncle. I figure I should express my fondness of you too. You deserve it, after all these years."

I could almost see Nino's jaw drop four feet down to the floor.

I stood up awkwardly, approaching my father with swallowed down fear. "What's all this about?"

Father snarled, "Can't I just tell you I'm proud of you without you being so-" I cut him off with a sudden, tight hug. Slowly, Gabriel's arms wrapped around me, barely there, but still, there. Then, he surprised me even more, by opening an arm out for Nino to join in the hug. And Nino, being Nino, jumped right up at the opportunity to hug someone. He squeezed himself between Gabriel and I with a smile on his face as my father enfolded us in his arms.

The hug didn't last long of course, my father always did prefer his space, but the moment was still everlasting. A short time shared with my father that I rarely ever received.

Nino quickly excused himself and scurried off to find Alya, I gave my father one last smile, then slid back into the living room to search for Marinette.

Marinette found me before I could find her, and she stared at me with a strange look.

"Was I dreaming, or did I just see you hug your father?" she asked. I ran a hand through my hair to calm myself down. My emotions were heightened, making me jittery. The motion helped calm me down.

"He uh, he said he's proud of me." I grinned. "Me and Nino. He's proud of Nino too, for being my friend."

A look crossed Marinette's face, a look I didn't quite understand. It was almost as though she were… concerned? Suspicious? I couldn't figure it out, and as quickly as it came, it went, replaced by a cheeky smile that spread across her face.

"He told you that he was proud of you? Adrien, that's amazing." She wrapped me into a warm hug, squeezing my middle tightly. Leaning my head on top of hers, I inhaled her sweet-bakery smell. She felt like home.

Then, someone tapped my shoulder, pulling me from Marinette's embrace. My father.

"Adrien, I have to go. There's a problem with the agency."

Disappointment was quick to cross my face, luckily, Marinette could sense moments like these and wrapped her an arm around mine to offer me support.

"Okay, well, thank you for coming… father." I added quietly. Gabriel smiled.

"I'll see you soon, son."

And he was gone.

Marinette slid her hand down my arm and laced her fingers through mine.

"Don't worry, Adrien. I'm sure we will see him again soon."

I rubbed my eyes again, stress once more bearing down on them. "Do you think he will be a better grandfather than he was a father?" I asked silently. Marinette gave my hand a comforting squeeze before pressing our intertwined hands against her stomach. A part of me wished the baby would kick.

"It doesn't matter whether or not Gabriel is a good father, or grandfather for that matter." Marinette started. She used her free hand to tip my chin upwards, forcing me to look into her familiar, loving, bluebell eyes. "All that matters is that _you_ will be."

I planted a kiss on Marinette's forehead with a smile, "What would I do without you, bugaboo?"

Suddenly, Nino walked up to us, a frantic look in his eyes. "Hey, dude, can I talk to you a sec?"

"What's going on?" Marinette looked from Nino to me and back again, searching for answers.

Nino waited for me to respond, I was the one who wanted to keep this secret after all. Instead of responding, however, I simply grabbed one of Marinette's hands and one of Nino's hands and pulled the pair upstairs to talk, out of the way of the pushing crowd. I shoved the three of us through our bedroom door, shutting it silently behind us.

Marinette crossed her arms over her chest, still waiting for her answer. I kicked a t-shirt up off the ground into my hand, then tossed it into the laundry bin, trying to buy time.

After another beat of silence, I finally said, "It has to do with the Miraculous. I didn't want to tell you until after the shower…"

"Adrien Agreste, how many times have we talked about this-  
"I know Mari but hear me out-"

"I told you from the beginning that we couldn't keep these kinds of secrets from each other-"

"It's our _baby shower_ Marinette, it's not important enough for you to know-"

" _Not important?_ If it has to do with the Miraculouses then it's _very_ important!"

"It could have waited until the shower was over."

"Have you seen any movie ever? When is it ever a good idea to keep a secret like this?"

"I was only keeping it a secret for like, two hours!"

Marinette scoffed, "Two hours my ass, you should've told me as soon as you found out."

I grabbed Mari's hand and pleaded with her with big green eyes. "Just hear me out, okay?"

Marinette fumed, but stiffly nodded her head in agreement.

"Okay," I started. Nino, who was previously sitting on the bed while Marinette and I argued, walked around to my side to join the conversation. I continued, "Nino came to me earlier with some news about the fox Miraculous. It was stolen last night."

Marinette's face dropped and her skin paled. "Stolen?" her voice was small, fearful.

"Yes,"

Nino jumped in, "The fox miraculous isn't the only one missing anymore. I can't find my bracelet anywhere."

Marinette and I both looked at Nino with stunned expressions.

" _What?_ " We said in unison.

Nino showed of his wrist nervously. "It's gone. Someone at the shower had to have taken it, because I had it on while you guys opened up the presents."

I nodded, "I remember,"

Marinette spoke up, thinking out loud. "That was right before Gabriel got here."

Suddenly Alya came bursting through the bedroom door, Ivan and Mylene were right behind her.

"These guys have something they need to discuss with you," Alya declared. Ivan rubbed his hands together nervously and Mylene fiddled with one of the buttons on her shirt.

"Fine, if you won't tell them I will," Alya said. "Their Miraculouses are missing, the ram and the snake."

Marinette walked over to Ivan and put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly, "Do you know who took them?" she asked.

Ivan shook his head sadly, "No, I swear. It was like they just vanished."

Marinette looked at me, and I knew exactly what she was thinking. If Ivan and Myelene's miraculouses were gone as well, there could be other's missing. Alix's and Max's, Kim's or Sabrina's. If not some of them, all of them.

And the only person who could have a use for those Miraculouses other than the team?

 _Hawkmoth._

 **I'm so sorry guys this chapter is so long, and it was so hard for me to write :( I needed to get a lot of information in here, everything in this chapter is VERY important for later in the story.**

 **I will probably be going back and editing this chapter sometime in the future so keep an eye out for any changes.**

 **If you have any questions about this chapter feel free to message me about it and I'll answer it and maybe even add it to the chapter if I go back and edit it.**

 **Thank you guys so much! I really mean a lot to me that you guys are enjoying this story so far.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Nooroo, Dark Wings Rise…" I muttered. Slowly, the dark power engulfed me, melting around my skin to form my evil mascaraed. The power surging through me filled me with the urge to skip ahead, form my army, and attack as soon as possible, but I swallowed down the urge with a thick gulp of the stale air that surrounded me.

No, I wasn't ready yet. There was still planning that needed to be done.

I clutched the Carapace bracelet tightly in my hand, rubbing the green turtle shell with my thumb aimlessly. It had been so easy to take, and I knew it would. All it took was a few meaningless words, an incentive for a hug, and a couple of kids who wanted to hear that they were doing something right.

My shadow stretched across the floor, tracing the trail to the far wall where I stalked across the dark room. The walls dark surface faded away at the touch of my hand and revealed the open shelves that hid the Miraculouses I had already stolen. The Ram, The Snake, The Fox, The Bee, and The Monkey all sat on the first row, guarded by ancient Chinese symbols that trapped their respective Kawamii's.

The second row held the Pig and the Ox. The only three left were the Dragon, the Dog, and the Tiger. Those would be the hardest. The kids who wielded them were some of the smartest, and most fearless kids that I had ever come across, but they couldn't make the task impossible.

An empty box with guarded symbols rested on the second shelf, I reached for it and lifted the soft lid, slipping the green bracelet under into its compartment. My fingers lingered on its surface, thoughts pounding in my mind. My plan was coming to a close; it wouldn't be long before I could execute it. Once I had all of the Miraculouses, the rest would come quickly and easily.

December. That was the goal. I had my army prepared, and Ladybug and Chat Noir would soon have theirs. There's no doubt they had figured out by now that the Miraculouses had been going missing, and it would only be a matter of time before they prepare their own ways of fighting back against a vigorous war.

 _December._ I thought, digging my fingernails into the palm of my hand. Angrily, I shoved the box containing the Turtle Miraculous onto its spot on the shelf and waved a single gloved hand in front of the sensor. The shelf once again faded back into the wall as I walked back towards the large round window, tapping my staff into the ground irritably.

December. Why did I not think of this before? That was when Adrien's baby was due, my _grandchild_.

I scowled into the darkness of the room.

No, I couldn't think about that.

The plan was set and in motion. A child was nothing new, people had children every day. _This_ child would be just like the rest of them.

I squeezed my eyes shut, rubbing the bridge of my nose. Yes, the child doesn't matter.

The plan must continue.

Suddenly, a coldness filled the room, a harsh breeze rushing in swiftly from the space above me. It was the presence of a madman.

I tensed up, "Alderam," I spoke harshly into the darkness, "You have no business here."

A scratchy voice came from behind me, like nails on a chalkboard. I fought the urge to cover my ears as he spoke, "Mr. Agreste. I warned you that I would be seeing you again."

Turning around slowly I realized that there was no getting out of business with a man like Alderam, once you met with him, there was no getting out, _ever._ A lump formed in my throat at the fear of being in this mans debt until the day I died. My grip on my staff tightened until my knuckles turned pure white under the silver gloves.

Alderam's beady yellow eyes stared up at me from under his hood, bearing into my soul, waiting patiently for a response.

I swallowed down the lump that had formed in my throat and took a step forward, "What do you want?" I snarled, "I thought we agreed that we would do no more business with each other."

"Naive thinking on your part, dear, Gabriel. I am here to... discuss certain matters." Alderam waved a hand through the air and two pitch black chairs formed in front of him, made completely of smoke. I was scared that if I sat down, I would just fall through, however, Alderam took a seat in one of the chairs and gestured for me to do the same.

Stiffly, I sat down on the smokey chair, still weary of its solidity, or lack thereof. Alderam adjusted his long dark cloak, keeping his face hidden beneath its folds. Once he was situated, he simply stared, waiting.

After what felt like hours, I cleared my throat. "What-uh-sort of matters would you like to discuss, Alderam?" It was getting harder and harder to fight off the pressure bearing down on my chest.

"I know of your plans, Gabriel, and I am here to offer you a deal."

"A deal?"

Alderam nodded, humming a screeching tune in the back of his throat as though he were singing a song, then he answered, "I have plans that are… _much_ bigger than you could imagine. Your plans will play a very big role in what is to come. I would like to ask you to… join me in my mission, Gabriel. Very few will be granted safety during these dark times, and if you make the right decision, I think you will find yourself in quite the place of solitude."

Leaning forward I placed my chin in my hands and considered his words, tossing them around in my head. Alderam needed me for something he was planning. If my plan succeeded, he could accomplish something bigger. Something that I was aloud to be a part of, put my name on, and be known for. Safety was something I would need to have guaranteed.

"Nooroo, dark wings fall…" I commanded before standing up, shoving my glasses up the bridge of my nose eagerly. I gestured to the door with a smile, "Let's take a walk and discuss this, shall we?"

…

Once the baby shower was over, Marinette plopped down onto the couch, rubbing her hand in circles around her small, pregnant belly. I slipped a glass under the running faucet in the kitchen before sliding in next to her on the couch. I handed Marinette the glass of water.

"Thanks," Marinette said tiredly. Nodding my head I sunk into the couch cushions, closing my eyes with a deep sigh. The sound of Marinette setting the glass down on the coffee table shattered the brief silence that had fallen around the room, making my leg twitch with instinct. She leaned her head against my shoulder, pressing her warmth into my side lightly.

Placing an arm down around her shoulders, I opened my eyes. They settled themselves onto the top of Marinette's dark head, brushing over her pale skin and dark splattering of freckles. She was staring at the space in front of her lazily.

I let out a tight sigh and spoke carefully, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the Miraculouses sooner, Mari. I just… didn't want you to worry about it until after the shower was over. The baby shower was supposed to be a good thing, for you and the baby." I pressed my free hand into Marinette's small protruding stomach and let out a long, slow breath. "Scratch that. It was a good thing for all three of us. I just wanted us to enjoy it."

Marinette shifted her position to look at me, her eyes shone with betrayal. "Our superhero duties need to come before anything else. The Miraculouses going missing? That is _such_ a big thing, Adrien. I don't care if it's our wedding anniversary, I _need_ you to tell me when something like this happens."

I stiffened, heart pounding in my chest. Hearing her say that, especially with the way my father acted today… well, it made the anger rise a little more in my chest. "Our superhero duties aren't top priority anymore, Marinette." I spoke slowly, trying to contain the festering anger.

Marinette's face dropped as the realization of what she said hit her, "I-I didn't mean-"

"It's fine…" I managed, wiping the palms of my hands on my jeans. Marinette knew that this was a big deal for me, and she also knew how much it hurt to have her say that super heroism was more important than our unborn child. I know, deep down, that she didn't mean it that way. That what she meant was that, our superhero duties were still something that we needed to put above all other things until our baby was born. The world still needed saving. We couldn't just toss aside the world and let it be pummeled. I understood, but with the neglect of my father, it was still hard for me to hear those words, especially coming from her.

"Adrien, I'm serious. Look at me, please." reluctantly, I moved my gaze back over to Marinette's bright blue eyes, they had starting welling with tears. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Baby comes first." I stated tightly.

"Baby comes first." Marinette repeated, "Just… you could have told me this time. You had plenty of time before the shower, and many opportunities in between."

I wiggled my shoulder out from under Marinette's chin, making her sit up. My fingers ran through my hair in frustration.

"Marinette, it _could have waited!_ The baby shower was only two hours long. It's not like I was planning on keeping this from you forever."

She started picking at a loose thread on the couch cushion, knitting her eyebrows together in thought. I could practically see the gears turning in her head. Usually, Tikki would help mentor her in these situations. While she thought, I took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm down. My shoulders started to loosen, my racing heart calmed, air returned to my lungs. There, that was a little better.

Finally, Marinette turned back to me, "I know, you're right."

I grabbed her hand and offered a smile, "I _am_ sorry though. I could have told you earlier, I just didn't want to."

"I'm sorry too, for fighting with you. I hate fighting with you," Marinette whispered the last part so quietly that I had to hold my breath to hear her. I crushed her into a tight hug, running my fingers through her short hair comfortingly. All the tightness in my chest released into the embrace, calming me.

"Can we clean up tomorrow?" I asked through the silence. Marinette let out a harsh laugh, releasing the tension in the air.

"What's wrong, kitty? Can't handle a little mess?" she teased. I let go of Marinette, a smile plastered on my face teasingly.

"The mess I can handle, but this model needs his beauty sleep." Faking a yawn and over-exaggerated a stretch, I slung my arms around Marinette's shoulders. Then, I nuzzled my nose into her neck with a slight purr in my throat.

Marinette burst into a fit of giggles and pushed my hair back away from my face. I couldn't help but lean contently into her touch.

"We can clean up tomorrow." Marinette decided.

"Good. Now, come on." I stood up quickly, scooping Marinette up into my arms before she could protest. A loud laugh escaped her lips, penetrating the still air, and she wrapped her arms loosely around my neck.

"You're crazy, _Chaton_. You don't even have your super-strength, and you're carrying not only me, but mini-me as well."

I winked at her, "I have my secrets." I moved towards the stairs, climbing the first steps carefully.

Marinette snorted, "You mean fencing?"

"Hey, I was best in my class! Besides, I know you like it when I fence." I gave Marinette a flirtatious look and she blushed. We arrived at our bedroom, I held Marinette close to my chest, reluctant to let her go.

"I hate you." Marinette mumbled.

"I love you too." I grinned, kicking open the bedroom door. I delicately set Marinette down onto the soft mattress of our large bed. She grabbed the blankets, tucking them around her shoulders while I sat down beside her on the bed. As she settled I reached over and pulled the red ribbons out of her hair, letting her pigtails fall loosely down around her shoulders. Ever since I had told Marinette about my mother, she had been letting me take the ribbons out without protest. Secretly, I think she didn't mind it being down every once in a while.

Marinette smiled and closed her eyes. I leaned over and planted a soft kiss on her cheek before standing back up and heading towards the door.

Marinette's sleepy voice carried over to me, "Where are you going?"

I stopped, hand hovering over the doorknob, then tilted my head slightly to look at her.

"I'm gonna run around with Plagg for a bit. I won't be long."

"Will you keep it under an hour please? Our baby goes crazy when you're not near."

I smiled into the darkness of the bedroom. My baby already knows who I am.

"I'll hurry. Goodnight, Marinette."

"Goodnight, Adrien." I shut the door silently behind me.

I traveled down the hallway on my tiptoes, checking each room for Plagg. Normally, he would be sleeping or eating cheese, so I headed down the stairs to the kitchen.

Once I reached the bottom floor I started twisting the Chat Noir ring around on my finger, feeling that familiar itch. Something was going to happen, and it was going to happen soon.

It didn't help that after a fight all I wanted to do was get out. Get out, get out, get out. It didn't matter where or when; I just needed that fresh air and adrenaline rush.

My urge to flee had gotten better since I moved out of my fathers, of course. Once I was able to do things of my own free will it became easier for me to not want to use Plagg as a way to get out. But, of course, the urge comes back. It comes back when I feel trapped, and fighting made me feel trapped. Especially when it was over something like this, something that tore at our double lives.

Where was Plagg? I needed to get out. Now. Breathing was getting harder, the walls were getting closer, and _I wanted out._

"Plagg?" I called out.

Suddenly something small slammed into my nose and fell to the ground. Tikki.

I bent over and picked her up. "Tikki? Why are you here? Where's Alya?" I asked worriedly. Tikki shivered in my hands, looking up at me with her bright purple eyes.

"I'm fine," Tikki squeaked out.

I held Tikki closer to my face so I could see her better in the dark of the house. She looked sick; her eyes were small, her body cold and shivering. If a Kawamii could be pale, she definitely was.

I shook my head, cradling Tikki in my hands with care, "You're not okay. Do you need to go to Master Fu?" I walked over to the kitchen, hurriedly digging through the cabinets for cookies.

"No, Adrien, I'm not sick. I'm being… affected. By dark magic." Tikki coughed. My hand rested on a chocolate chip cookies and I yanked it out of the cabinet, handing it to Tikki. She took it gratefully and nibbled on the edges.

"Where's Alya?" I questioned again, a pressing concern growing in my chest.

Tikki shook her head. "She doesn't know I'm here. She's safe in bed."

Using the dim light of the moon, I made my way to the couch in the living room and put Tikki down on one of the cushions. She started looking a little better; at least, the color had started to return to her face.

"What were you saying about _Dark Magic_?"

Tikki swallowed, "When Kwamii's are being kept against their will, the other Kwamii's feel it too. It's an ancient magic that connects us together, and if some of us are being held…"

"The other's start to get sick." I finished with sadness in my voice.

"It's temporary though, like a warning." Tikki was down to the last half of her cookie now, picking out a chocolate chip and plopping it in her mouth.

"Tikki, have you seen Plagg?"

"Cheese." Was all she had to say. I knew immediately what she meant. I skidded across the floor back into the kitchen, tearing open the cheese cabinet. Plagg sat on top of a large slice of Camembert, holding a smaller piece in one of his hands. He had fallen asleep.

I poked his side carefully with my pointer finger. "Plagg," I whispered. "Plagg, get up." Plagg grumbled and the cheese in his hand fell to the floor.

Sighing I said, "Plagg, please get up." the urge was growing stronger. Even with Tikki injured, traveled all this way just to warn us that dark magic was afoot, I needed to get out. It was too much for me. Heightened emotions ran through my head in a never-ending flow.

Plagg rolled over and sat up sleepily, rubbing his large eyes tiredly. "What is it?" He whined into the darkness.

Picking him up, I brought him over to Tikki on the couch.

"What's she doing here?" Plagg asked sleepily.

"She's sick." I said gruffly, wanting this conversation over and done with.

I slid Plagg gently onto the couch as Tikki swallowed down the last of her cookie.

"Sick?"

"Dark Magic." Tikki replied. She sounded a million times better than she had just minutes ago. A smidge of relief passed through my chest, allowing me to breath just a little easier.

Tikki continued, "I felt it by Alya and Nino's house. Something is wrong with the Kawamii's. If I had to guess..." Tikki trailed off, glancing at me worriedly, "It has something to do with the missing Miraculouses."

I swallowed hard, "Plagg and I should go over and check it out while you rest. Marinette and I will talk to Alya and Nino tomorrow and ask them to stay here until we can figure out what's going on. That way, you're less likely to get sick. Will the magic affect Plagg if we're transformed?"

Tikki shook her head.

"Good. Go find Marinette, let her know where I'm going. Tell her I'll be back as soon as I can." I stood up and called out for Plagg to transform me, then, I jumped out the open window.

The cool air energized me, feeding my cat-like senses down to the soul. I loved it. _Every. Single. Minute_ of it.

It was too cloudy to see the moon and the stars, but I could imagine they were there, hanging low in the sky. The chilled breeze attacked the skin on my face and whipped my hair back angrily. I stole a deep breath of the fresh air and raced across the rooftops of Paris, jumping over chimneys and skidding along various balconies.

Air returned to my lungs at full capacity, burning my nostrils with cold air, and it felt good. When I was a teenager, it used to be frustrating having to feel like I needed to be out like this in order to feel free, but I had long since accepted it. And luckily for me, Marinette accepted it too. She understood. Sometimes, when you need to go, you just need to go.

I skidded to a halt in front of Alya and Nino's two-bedroom apartment, looking through their eerily dark living room window. Nobody was awake, just as I had suspected.

I tore myself from the window and started walking around the perimeter of the building, analyzing every corner of the street I could see. The silence hung over the air like a deadly fog, a cold sweat appeared on my skin. Something wasn't right.

I turned another corner of the far side of the building. Immediately my instinct told me to hide, so I jumped back behind the wall, pressing my body against the cold brick until I was as flat as a board. My cat ears flicked, tuning into the two voices that flowed through the air.

"You understand the importance of this mission." The first voice said. The voice was raspy and angry. Piercing through the silence like a sharp blade bearing down on a victim.

The next voice carried over, eerily familiar, "Hawkmoth won't have a problem taking care of it. Just give me the date and time."

My blood froze.

The voice belonged to my father.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The heels of my feet pounded harshly into the ground as I ran through the streets of Paris. My heart was in my throat and fear gripping my insides, tearing me into millions of pieces.

I needed Marinette.

Marinette would understand, she would know what to do.

My foot caught on a loose stone and I went tumbling to the ground, scraping my cheek on the rough gravel. I quickly glanced behind me to make sure that no one was following me.

After I heard my father speak, I had risked looking at the pair of speakers. My father was more obvious than the sun at night, but the other speaker, the one with the horrid voice, was shrouded in a dark hood. He blended in with the dark so well that I could only see his eyes, a piercing gold color and as round as a ravens.

A chill ran down my spine as I pushed myself off the ground and touched my face. My fingertips were immediately submerged in the hot sticky blood that protruded from the scratch. I sucked in a breath at the sting from the contact, cursing under my breath. The scratch would definitely scar, especially without Ladybugs charm to cure it before I detransformed. The last thing I needed were people at work questioning why I had ruined my "perfect" features. Whatever, it didn't matter. Steeling up my emotions, I grabbed my baton and extended it into the air, allowing it to push me through the harsh winds and carry me up to the rooftops. Once my feet landed onto the nearest surface, I ran, and I didn't stop until I reached home.

The front door slammed shut behind me as I made my way up the stairs to the bedroom in record time. I flicked the light on, illuminating my sleeping wife.

Marinette grumbled an unintelligible sentence that was filled with annoyance, but I didn't care. I pounced to her side and wrapped my leather-clad hand around hers, tugging her out of bed.

"I'm sorry Marinette, but I really need you to get up." I whispered. My voice was high pitched, strained with fear. Marinette tensed up under my grasp, her blue eyes blinked open with imminent concern.

"Chat Noir? What's wrong?" Instead of responding I tugged Marinette down the stairs and set her down on the living room couch where Tikki had been sleeping soundly a moment before, but was now spinning through the air with worry at the sudden disruption. Marinette and Tikki blinked at each other with confusion as I started pacing back forth across the living room, struggling to piece together my thoughts into sentences that were understandable.

"Alya and Nino need to stay here." Were the first words out of my mouth. I blinked down at my hands in confusion. That wasn't what I wanted to say first.

"Okay… I'll call them." Marinette spoke softly, watching me carefully as she reached for her phone. Before she could grab I grasped her wrist and stopped her. She maintained a steady eye contact with me, waiting. Silence steadied over the room as if time froze, my hand holding her wrist, her eyes telling me what to say.

Time unfroze, and suddenly, I knew exactly what I needed to say.

Letting go of Marinette's wrist I said, "I was at Alya and Nino's, scoping the place out for signs of whatever was affecting Tikki."

Marinette nodded patiently. I felt my legs fail beneath me, forcing me to sit down on the couch.

"I… heard a couple of voices around the corner from the building." I bit my lip and shook my head; "My father was there, talking to someone about Hawkmoth."

Marinette's eyes grew wide in concern, " _Hawkmoth?_ " She whispered fearfully.

I shuttered, "Yeah."

Marinette placed a soft hand on my shoulder and tucked her loose hair behind her ear shakily, "What _exactly_ did you hear, _Chaton_?"

"They were making a deal of some sort. I couldn't see the man father was talking to, but it felt… dark. _He_ felt dark. It was powerful and consuming. The man was talking about a mission, and my father said Hawkmoth would take care of it."

Immediately, Marinette reached for her phone, quickly dialing a number while talking at an unnatural speed, "I'm calling Alya. Her and Nino need to come here where it's safe and we need to discuss-"

I cut her off with a look of desperation, one that made her sit down and let out a shaky breath as she spoke her next string of words, phone resting at her side with a green call button showing proudly on the screen.

"Adrien, if Gabriel is affiliating with Hawkmoth…"

"But we don't _know_ that for sure." I countered, the tightness in my chest returned, growing and spreading. I bit my lip hard enough for the taste of metal to melt into my mouth. Marinette sighed and went to the kitchen to wet a towel. When she returned she carefully swiped away the blood on my cheek and lip. I refused to look at her while she worked, training my eyes at the ground, the couch, Tikki, anywhere but her face.

Finally, she put the towel down on the white coffee table and clutched her hands together.

"We might not know that he is, but we have to act as though he is. Chat Noir doesn't have a relation to Gabriel, so he would treat him as suspect. That's what you need to do, Chat Noir. That's how you and Ladybug have saved Paris so far."

I nodded. "Just like with Simon Says. I need to shove Adrien away and be Chat Noir long enough to save the people that need to be saved." the words I spoke were hushed, Marinette and I had agreed long ago to never use our real names when we were dressed as our alter-egos. We could never be sure who was listening.

"Once Chat Noir saves Paris, Adrien can come home, and when he comes home, his wife and son will be here to support him." Marinette said quietly.

My heart stopped. I looked at Marinette, tears flooding my eyes, "Son? I'm going to have a _son_?"

Marinette clasped a hand over her mouth, realizing her mistake. "Shit, Chat I didn't mean to-"

She didn't finish. I tugged her into such a tight hug that I could feel her gasping for air. Loosening my grip I whispered in her ear, "Oh, Mari, I love you. I love _him._ "

 **[Three Months Later]**

I raced around the bed, speaking to Marinette a million miles a minute.

"Do you need anything? Water? TV? New clothes? When's the last time you ate? You're eating for two you know, I could get my chef to come in and-"

" _Adrien Agreste._ " Marinette stressed, shaking her head. I could tell she liked the worry I showed, by the tiny smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

I stopped fretting around the room and ran to Marinette's side. Marinette was under the blankets, her belly sticking out from under the covers. She reached for my hand and I placed my palm in hers, then she grabbed my cheek with her freehand, rubbing her thumb across the still-fresh scar that now decorated my face. She pulled me down to meet her lips.

Parting with a smile on my face she said, "I'm okay, babe."

I knit my eyebrows together in concern, heart pounding from the close proximity. "You're on bed rest. That's bad."

Marinette shook her head with a smile, "I'll be okay Adrien. Go patrol with Alya, save the world. I'll be waiting here when you come home." Marinette pressed her lips against mine again, warm and moist. I reveled in her touch. Then, she parted. "Be safe."

I nodded and gave her hand a quick squeeze before joining Alya at the door. Alya shook her head at me with a smile.

"What?" I asked.

" _You._ "

"What about me?"

Alya and Marinette laughed, "Never mind. Come on, let's go." Alya grabbed my arm and dragged me down the stairs.

It had been three months since I had seen my father talking with the Man in the Hood, after giving Marinette and Tikki a more detailed description of the man, Tikki had decided to call him The Raven. It had been twelve o'clock in the morning when Marinette made the phone call to Alya begging her to pack everything and get to our house ASAP. It had been two in the morning when her and Nino came barging into our house with there arms full of bags, and worry in their eyes. We had stayed up all night trying to figure out what the next plan was. We decided to use extra security measures around the area I saw the meeting take place, using the remaining Miraculous users by putting them on patrol shifts. Alya and I also decided to patrol Paris more often, three times a day instead of one. Since I hadn't heard when the plan with Hawkmoth was supposed to go down, we didn't want to take any chances of a surprise visit from our nemesis.

Until we knew more about the visits, and until we knew more about The Raven, Marinette and I had agreed to keep our distance from my father. Which wasn't hard since we barely spent time with him anyway. It was a bit of a struggle for me because I wanted to believe that my father was innocent, but there was no explanation for what was said, and Marinette was right, Chat Noir needed to act on this first, Adrien second.

Alya transformed into Ladybug and I transformed into Chat Noir. It was still weird for me to see Alya in Ladybug-form. She looked virtually the same, except her hair and eyes, which stayed the same as Alya's natural hair, and eye colors were.

I sucked in a breath and forced a smile, "Ready?" I asked.

"Ready."

 **Hello Fellow Miraculousers! So, just a heads up I am NOT done with this chapter yet. I am moving tomorrow and just wanted to post a little something before I left :) I hope you guys enjoy it. Keep an eye out the next few days for the rest of this chapter! Love you guys thank you so much for all of the support!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

We jumped out of the window into the sunny Paris afternoon. Normally, Alya and I would be patrolling the streets, looking out for signs of akuma victims. Today, however, we were rallying our team. Everyone who still had their Miraculouses and everyone who didn't have their Miraculouses were meeting together to train for what Marinette and I called the "End of The World" plan or ETW for short. The ETW included hand-to-hand combat training, fencing, weapons training, and for those of us who still had Miraculouses, enhanced power training with Master Fu.

Today was our tenth training session. Things were a little rocky in the beginning, but Alya and I, with the help of Marinette, had been able to get things more organized.

Alya and I swung down onto the hard-stone pebbles of an abandon building and waited for the others to get here. Soon, the whole room was filled with our peer's, ready to start their weekly training. The only people who still had their Miraculouses were Kim, Max, and Alix. Max's superhero name was Chien, Alix's was Tigre, and Kim's was Vite. They arrived un-transformed just as we had agreed. The only reason why I was transformed was because no one knew who I really was yet, and Alya only came dressed up as Ladybug because Chat Noir always needed his Lady, even if the rest of the Team knew that Alya was taking the real Ladybug's place until she could be heard from again.

As soon as the last of the Team arrived, Master Fu pulled me aside hurriedly as Alya started grouping our teammates together for warm-ups.

"Adrien," he said. "How is Marinette?"

I chuckled lightly, Marinette was always his favorite. "She's great. The doctors put her on bed rest for a while, but she's a strong girl."

Master Fu nodded with a small smile. "Good. Any news on Raven or Hawkmoth?"

I swallowed down the lump in my throat, "Uh, no. Nothing yet. Akuma attacks have been slowing down a lot though, Paris is starting to take notice. I think everyone is getting worried." I glanced over at Alya, who was leading everyone through some simple warm ups. Everyone looked serious, determined to work hard and be at their best for this war.

I returned my attention back to Master Fu who nodded in agreement at my statement. "Yes, we must remain on high alert." Then, he patted my leather-clad arm gestured to the other heroes before us. "Let's get back to work, hmm?"

I put on a charming Chat Noir smile and walked back up to the group, clapping my hands together to get everyone's attention. It worked well, and I immediately melted into teaching mode, going through my superhero speech with ease.

"Alright, Team, listen up. Times are getting harder, and with limited work on our enemies we need to amp up our routines a bit. Rose, Juleka, and Ivan, you three are stationed at the rock wall today. Myelene, Chloe, and Sabrina, you three are with Alya learning to use various weapons. Max, Kim, and Alix, and Nino, you four are with me, we're focusing on some fencing and hand-to-hand combat. Let's give it all we got today guys, we never know when Raven and Hawkmoth will attack. We need to be as ready as we can be."

The Team split up in their given groups and quickly got to work. I went to our make-shift storage room and pulled out some fencing swords and got to work. Everyone already knew the basics, now we were sparring and working on technique.

Once everyone had a sword and a partner I ordered them into position. Max, Kim, Nino, and Alix obliged, taking in the command like trained soldiers. Thinking back on the childhood we had all shared together made it heart-wrenching to know that we now had to share the beginnings of a war together. The good memories at school, the friendships, the projects we worked on together, and the fun field trips. Soon, those memories would be tainted, and I wasn't sure everyone was mentally prepared for that.

I spit out a series of fencing commands, "En garde, Pret."

The four students stood in the basic pose, facing the other's partner and steadily staring each other down.

"Allez, Lunge, Parry, Riposte." I instructed. Then watched and waited. It was harder keeping an eye on two different subjects, especially when it came to judge who touched who first. However, by now I was starting to become an expert at multitasking and was able to keep a steady eye on the pairs of students with a concentrated ease.

"Arret." I stated. The pairs of fencers stopped short and stood at the ready, panting and sweating heavily. Slowly, I stood up from the beam I had been previously perched upon and walked up to my friends, smiling my signature smile, "Max, sorry buddy but Alix beats you once again. And Nino, you win this time, but Kim had it close. Keep your guard up more, like this." I lifted his sword a little and tilted his holding arm. Nino nodded determinedly and put his arm back down.

I looked around at the other groups and let out a small sigh.

"You guys go on and get a water break. I'm going to get everyone together for battlefield training here in a minute." My four team members trotted off to their bags to grab some water and I walked towards the center of the room, once again clapping my hands together to get everyone's attention.

Alya came skipping up to my side and she handed me a small stack of papers. Our plans of attack. Every single scenario we could possibly think of and our means to attack were scrawled into the paper held out in front of me. I took the cream-colored paper and flipped through it in my hands as I told everyone what we were doing next.

Within fifteen minutes everyone had taken their breaks and were now seated on various objects. Max and Kim shared a rectangular wooden crate, Rose and Juleka were perched on some pillows they had brought with them, Chloe had opted to stand, along with Sabrina and Kim. The others were fine with sitting on the floor or leaning against a wall.

I tore the papers from the staple that held them together and lay them out across the ground for everyone to look at. Alya took out a long scroll and a fat sharpie, popping off the lid she scribbled the words ETW Battlefield Positions at the top of the scroll. Then, I took out a sticker sheet with various colors and assigned every person a color.

As I assigned colors, Alya drew out a crude map of Paris and doodled a quick star over some important places we had decided Hawkmoth might target first. There was one over my dad's house, one over mine and Marinette's house, another over The Eiffel Tower, another over the Louvre, and finally, one at the Arc de Triomphe.

"Everyone will be given medical supplies, and food to last for weeks." I started, sitting back on my heels. "After I've told you where you are going to be stationed for the next few weeks, you and your partner will be spending the next few weeks preparing your area. You will be in charge of setting up your own defenses, stocking up your own weaponry, and making sure your medic and food supplies are easily accessible."

I grabbed for the sticker sheet and peeled off one yellow, one brown, and one light green sticker, then stuck them in place by the Arc. "Chloe, Myelene, and I will be stationed here, at the Arc." I picked this place for myself specifically because it wasn't far from Alya and Nino's apartment. The one where I had seen my father and Raven speaking.

I grabbed an orange and light pink sticker next, placing them on Alya's map where she had starred my father's house. I continued, "Alya and Rose will put up defenses here, and will be keeping a low profile. If any of the security around the house catches you two, the plan fails." I looked up into Alya and Rose's eyes, making sure they understood the seriousness of their task. "You will be planting devices that Max built around that whole block. These devices will give us information on who leaves the house and at what time. Understood?"

Alya and Rose gave me a small nod and Max handed Alya a handful of small round devices. Then, he took out a handful of separate devices, intercoms for us to attach to our clothing.

"These are fairly easy to use," Max started, shoving his large glasses up his nose wistfully, "there's a small button on the side. Just press it, and the device turns on. Attach the microphone to the collar of your uniforms and put this piece here in your ear like so." Max stuck a nearly invisible headphone into his ear and attached the small microphone to his collar. The device was so small that I was sure I would lose it within seconds, but I took the device gratefully nonetheless before turning back to the map.

"Thank you, Max, continuing…" Alya handed me the next set of stickers, dark green and purple, and I placed them under the star that was by the Eiffel Tower. "Here we have Max and Juleka. You two have to be on very high alert at the Tower, it's a high area of confrontation."

Next, Alya grabbed a red and blue sticker, then placed them under mine and Marinette's house.

Alya spoke with complete seriousness, a focused and threatening tone in her voice, "Kim and Sabrina will be keeping watch here. If _anything_ happens to Marinette _or_ her baby, you will _never_ be forgiven. Got it?"

"Yeah… okay…"

"Got it… we understand…"

"Good." Alya finalized. Then she nodded for me to announce the last pair.

I grabbed the last set of stickers and placed them on the map at the Louvre, "Alix and Ivan," I started, rubbing the corners of the stickers into place on the scroll, "you two will be staying here. Coms stay on at all times, no exceptions. We will restock supplies and weaponry once a month. If you need back-up say so and state your location so everyone knows where to go. Any new information that anyone has can also be stated over the coms and can also be written down in the notebooks at each station. The Arc is Station A, Gabriel Agreste's is Station B, The Eiffel Tower if Station C, Marinette's house is Station D, and the Louvre is Station E. Any questions?"

For a while no one raised their hands or tried to comment. The whole Team just sat there, studying the map and the stickers, running through all the new information in their heads and storing it in their memories.

Finally, Chloe pouted out her lip and spoke up in her usual whinny way. "Who will be designing our uniforms? There is no way that I'm going into battle without _protection_ besides Chat Noir. Also, why these specific pairs? Why can't we pick who we're teamed up with? I work _much_ better with people I actually care about…"

"Great questions, Chloe." Alya interrupted. She was obviously fighting back an old urge, one of annoyance. "Chat, got a good answer?"

I stood up and quickly brushed the dirt off my knees, rising to eye level with Chloe.

"Marinette will be designing the uniforms. Each uniform will be stocked with pockets and hiding places, they are also made for each individual specifically. This means that whichever weapon you are best at using, your uniform will accommodate for. It also means that it can withstand any movements needed for your specific fight-style."

Chloe made a disgusted face, " _Marinette_ is making our uniforms?"

"Hey!" I protested, "She is one of the best in the fashion industry. Do _not even think for one second-"_

"Chat Noir!" Alya snapped, placing a hand on my shoulder. "We're all tense, kitty, but you need to _calm down…_ " Alya cupped a hand over my ear and whispered, "Don't forget that they still don't know what your true identity is. If you let it slip, both you _and_ Marinette will be in trouble. They won't look up to you two anymore, and we can't have that when we're this close to war."

I silently thanked Alya and took a deep breath.

"Sorry Chloe, I'm just a bit tense." I said with a scratchy voice.

Chloe flipped her pony-tail over her shoulder and sighed, "Whatever. Are you going to answer my other questions?"

Alya picked up where I left off, answering Chloe's questions. "We picked these pairs because we needed at least one person who still had a Miraculous at each location. Now, those of you who have training with Master Fu can follow him back to his house, the rest of you can head home. Get together with your partners sometime within this week to finalize any plans for your Stations, we will be executing this plan next week in place of training. Good luck everybody, and don't forget that we are a Team, and a damn good one at that. Goodnight guys."

Everyone said their goodbyes and grabbed their belongings. When we had first started training, we would try to get everyone to leave with smiles on their faces, but as the weeks wore on, everyone started realizing how big this war really was supposed to be, and soon it got harder and harder to keep up the fun. Alya and I had even asked the Team if they wanted to do a bonding night once a week where we all do something normal like bowling, but everyone chose to simply train.

Once everyone was gone, I detransformed and gave Plagg some cheese.

Alya came up behind me, also back to her civilian self, and she had her phone out texting Marinette about how the training session went.

"Everyone seems to be getting stronger by the week." I stated tightly. Hawkmoth had probably had years to prepare whatever he was planning, and we've only had three months to prepare a broken-down army. To say I was worried was an understatement.

Alya pushed her phone into her back pocket and Tikki appeared at her shoulder with a cookie in hand. Tikki said, "Don't worry Adrien, I'm sure everything will work out."

"Yeah," Plagg chimed in. "Cheese fixes everything!" He shoved a large piece of cheese into his mouth, digging his small fangs into its soft surface.

I sighed. "Maybe you guys are right. But, we didn't even get the chance to go over our plans to get the Miraculouses back today, and if our plan to get the Miraculouses back fails, who knows what will happen to the rest of Paris."

"It will work, Adrien." Alya said, kicking a rock across the ground.

I looked up at her and smiled. "You make a great Ladybug."

"Thanks, I want to say it's a dream come true, but I miss Rena Rouge. I can't wait to get Trixx back."

"We'll get her back soon…" I trailed off, looking out one of the busted windows of the abandon building. A bird flew by and landed on a nearby tree, chirping off into a random direction.

"What's up, Adrien?" Alya asked sincerely.

I turned to look at her, Plagg and Tikki were playing a game of tag above us, now full of energy.

"It's nothing."

"It's something." Alya retaliated. I ran my fingers through my hair anxiously. Too much was on my mind these days, and these were supposed to be some of the happiest months of my life.

"Okay," I started. "It's just… I want my son to be born _before_ ETW must be executed. But, at the same time, I wonder if he, and Marinette for that matter, would be safer if ETW happened before his birth. Does that make sense?"

Alya placed a hand on my shoulder, staring me down with her giant, hazel eyes. "Of course, it makes sense, Adrien. There's no way to change things now, we just have to take it day by day. Marinette has three more months to go, that's plenty of time to figure out the best course of action in the best and worst-case scenarios. Nino and I are always here to help you too, your son _is_ our nephew after all, you know."

I smiled, silently thanking Marinette's amazing taste in friends.

Plagg flew over and bumped my hand, "Can we go home now? I could use a nap." He whined. Then, Tikki flew past me and Alya caught her in her hands easily.

"Yes," Tikki started. "I want to check on Marinette."

"Alright guys, let's go." Alya tickled Tikki, making her erupt into a small set of giggles.

Together, Alya and I transformed and headed back home.

 **Hello Fellow Miraculousers!**

 **It** _ **only**_ **took me an entire month to post the rest of this chapter, I am SO sorry guys! You know how moving is…**

 **Posting will hopefully get more regular from here on out. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, even with all of its super-seriousness. The action will be stirring up here soon!**

 **Love you guys! Thank you for remaining loyal to the story, it makes me so happy to read all of your reviews! Thank you, thank you, thank you!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Alya and I flew in through the window, detransforming as soon as our feet hit the ground. Nino had beat us home and upon our arrival jumped up off the couch and ran right into Alya's arms.

"You did amazing today, Alya." He said, words full of love and appreciation. Even with Nino's chill and laid-back attitude, he still knew how serious this war was going to be. He appreciated everything we were doing to keep the team safe.

I watched the pair hug for a minute longer than I probably should have. Taking in the lovely scene of two of my closest friends enjoying each other's embrace. It was nice to know that the war preparation didn't have to consume every aspect of our lives, and my heart swelled knowing that these were the moments we would be saving for future generations. For my son's generation.

I forced myself to look away just before Alya and Nino parted from their hug enough to kiss and headed up the stairs to mine and Marinette's bedroom. The moon had just started to rise over the towns buildings, the sky not yet quite dark enough to feel the need to turn on the lights in the house.

My hand traced its way up along the wooden railing of the staircase, my fingertips stretching across the wood grains as if soaking up the feelings of a domesticated life. Soaking up the assumed last remaining days of a relatively normal life.

I turned the corner at the top of the stairs and wrapped my hand around the cold brass doorknob, twisting it under my grasp. The door eased open without so much as a squeak, revealing the smiling, tired face of my beautiful wife. Her large blue eyes were lined with dark circles, yet her cheeks were rosy with cheer and her smile was wide enough to make me chuckle in the slight darkness of the room.

I shut the door silently behind me, removing my shirt and jeans before sliding into bed next to Marinette. She had adjusted so she lay flat on the bed, and I put my head on her shoulder, wrapping an arm lightly around her protruding belly.

Marinette ran her soft fingertips through my hair gently, soothingly, then planted a kiss on the top of my head.

"How did training go, Adrien?" She asked softly, as though she were trying not to wake a sleeping baby.

I sighed into the ever-growing darkness, tilting my head slightly to look up at Marinette. "It was fine. Everyone is taking it seriously, but it's almost like walking on eggshells during our sessions. No one wants to make the wrong move."

"I'm sure that'll change after ETW has been executed." Marinette's free hand circled her stomach and captured my unmoving hand. I intertwined my fingers with hers, smiling into her shoulder. The warmth from her body radiated into mine and sunk deep down into my bones.

"Did you talk to your parents today?" I asked.

Marinette shifted uncomfortably, "Yes. They said I could stay there if the war happened before I gave birth."

"And what did they say about watching him if he's born before the war?"

"They… don't want me to fight." Marinette said.

I gave her hand a small squeeze, "We need you Mari, as much as I don't want you out there either, we can't win without you."

"I know, kitty." Marinette whispered.

"Alya and I talked today, which is why we're home so late." I confessed. Marinette raised an eyebrow at me, inviting me to continue. "If anything happens to us, they'll take care of him. And, if I'm being honest, I don't think there is a better set of godparents in the world."

Marinette gave me a smirk, "You think we should make them his godparents?"

Once more, I gave her hand a squeeze and flashed her a wink. Marinette squealed, sitting up quickly, forcing me up as well. I let go of her hand and moved back on the bed to hold my own weight while Marinette gleefully expressed her happiness.

"Should we go downstairs and tell them?" She questioned me directly. I thought back to watching the pair in the living room, locked in a never-ending hug and shook my head with a smile.

"No, let's tell them tomorrow. After we paint the nursery."

Marinette's blue eyes found mine in the dim light of the moon that flowed through the large floor-to-ceiling windows. "A day off? You mean we actually have a day off?"

"Yes, Princess. A day off. And we can relax and paint the nursery and maybe cook a nice meal for the four-and-a-half of us."

Marinette leaned over and kissed me, her soft, moist lips pressing against mine, I could feel the baby kick against my side and I smiled against Marinette's lips.

"He always does that when you kiss me." She murmured. I pulled back curiously.

"I've never felt him do that before."

Marinette simply smiled and kissed me again, enveloping me in her warmth. I cupped her cheek softly before slipping my tongue between her teeth. She leaned into my touch even more, enjoying the feeling for mere seconds before her breath hitched and she pulled back suddenly, rubbing her hand over her stomach.

"What happened? Are you okay?" I asked, straightening myself out.

Marinette gave me a forced smile, "Great. He kicked my ribs, it happens sometimes. Just takes me a minute to catch my breath."

I studied Marinette for another moment before responding. "Okay. Let's go to bed. We have a nice day ahead of us."

"I love you, Adrien." Marinette laid down and I swooped down to give her one last quick kiss.

"I love you too, Mi'Lady."

I woke up to the sun filtering through the windows and Marinette sprawled out across the bed, shoving me until I lay precariously on the edge of the bed. A few months after we found out she was pregnant, this started happening. She would get so uncomfortable she'd just spread out and next thing I knew I was lying flat on my stomach with my nose squished against the hardwood floors.

I slipped out from under the blankets, and one of Marinette's legs, carefully moving to try not to wake her. Then, I grabbed for the nearest sweatpants and dug in the closet for a plain white t-shirt before running down the stairs two-at-a-time. When I reached the bottom of the staircase I nearly collided with Nino, who was dressed in a t-shirt and bright red boxers.

"Woah man, slow your roll." Nino said, gripping my shoulders to steady me. I rubbed the back of my neck nervously.

"Heh, sorry. Pulled a Marinette, didn't I?"

Nino raised an eyebrow at me, scratching the top of his head. "Somethin' up?"

I shook my head quickly, reaching for a black hoodie that was laid abandon on the couch and slipping it over my head.

"I told Marinette we were painting the nursery today, and I _forgot_ to grab the freaking _paint._ I need to get it before she wakes up."

Nino shoved a pair of shoes on and said, "Let me come with you then."

"Uh... Nino?"

"Yeah?"

"Pants." I replied. Nino looked down quickly, cheeks turning bright red.

"Give me three seconds." And he rushed back into his room. I grabbed the car keys and pressed my finger down onto the remote start before grabbing my shoes and heading for the door. Nino came running out of the house right behind me.

It took us about a half-hour to grab the paint. I knew by now that Marinette was awake and wondering where we were, but I was too ecstatic to care. We were finally doing something that normal couples do. We were finally doing something for our son, in our house, with our happily married selves. I was practically jumping in my seat at the excitement.

Nino looked at me, smiling himself. "You're really excited about this baby, huh?" he asked, playfully punching me in the arm.

I grinned sheepishly while gripping the steering wheel tightly, "Yeah, I am." Then, I frowned, glancing over at Nino. "Don't tell Marinette I told you, but we're going to make you guys our sons godparents."

Nino wiped his palms on his jeans and made split-second eye-contact with me, "I hope nothing happens to us, man. Especially you and Marinette."

"Yeah," I exhaled. "Me too."

We arrived at home to find the girls sitting on the couch, painting each other's nails. Alya's were a deep red and Marinette's a light, faded pink color. They both lit up when Nino and I walked through the doors. Marinette's eyes flickered to the paint and she gave me a knowing look.

"Hey, look Nino," I said putting the paint cans down on the floor behind the couch. "It's our beautiful wives! We have never been happier to see you two." I ducked down to kiss Marinette on her cheek.

"We'd say the same if you too didn't ditch us this morning." Alya said with her arms crossed.

Nino walked around the other side of the couch and sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Sorry Alya, we had an emergency."

"' _Emergency_ '" Marinette air quoted, glancing at the paint. I put my chin on the back of the couch and looked up at her through my eyelashes pleadingly.

"Don't give in Marinette! Be strong girl!" Alya exclaimed playfully. I blinked a few times and even let a small purr escape my lips. Marinette's resolve crumbled like a wall made of sand.

"Fine, you two are forgiven. Besides, Alya and I got a bit of girl time together, which is rare these days."

Alya's face lit up, "Yeah, felt like we were teenagers again." Marinette laughed.

I walked around the couch and took Marinette's hand, pulling her up from the couch. Nino and Alya stood up as well, Nino's arm still draped around Alya's shoulders.

"Alya and I are headed to the zoo for our date, we'll see you guys at dinner." Nino waved and Alya snuck out from under his arm, wrapping Marinette in a tight hug.

"See you soon girl." She said softly. Marinette hugged her back and said goodbye with a smile. The door shut behind Alya and Nino with a quiet _click_ as the doorknob slid back into place.

I turned to Marinette, who was standing beside me looking at the paint.

"Yellow? But we know it's a boy." She said with a frown.

I grabbed the paint buckets and headed for the stairs, "Yes Mi'Lady. However, this color is _purrrfect_ for catching the sunlight during a sunset. You'll see."

Marinette followed me, waddling up the stairs behind me. Since she was technically still on bedrest, I had brought in her old chase couch with the help of her dad. She grabbed a blanket and made herself comfortable while I set up the paint brushes and trays.

I could feel Marinette watching me as I worked, and cursed myself for blushing, even after all these years.

When I couldn't ignore the fact any longer I stood up and stretched out my back, smirking at the wall in front of me.

"I can feel you watching me," I turned to look at Marinette, whose blue eyes playfully stole mine with a single stare. The freckles across her cheeks stood out greatly in the sunlight, which I was extremely grateful for. With the all-nighters I've been pulling, I had started to forget they were even there at all.

"Me? Staring? No way." Marinette teased.

I walked up to her, putting my hands on either side of her face and pressing my palms into the arm of the couch to hold me up so my face was just hovering over hers. I cocked my head to the side and glanced at her full, pink lips.

"Did you need something, bugaboo?"

Marinette put a hand on my chest, tracing her palm down my chest, over my stomach, and around my hips. She gripped them tightly, pulling me a little closer. My breath hitched in my throat at her touch.

"Just a kiss."

"A kiss?" I inquired innocently. "That's all?"

"Yes."

I smirked, "Then a kiss my Princess shall receive." I ducked my head down and kissed the soft spot above her collar bone, then planted another one at the base of her neck. Marinette gripped my hips tighter, letting out a soft gasp.

I continued to trail kisses up her neck and along her jawline, basking in the alone-time we so rarely got. I felt Marinette tug lightly on the drawstrings of my pants, but when I separated to raise an eyebrow at her she grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, that was an accident not an invitation."

Smiling anyways, I grabbed her hand kissed her knuckles. "Can I paint now? Or are you going to continue to distract me?"

Marinette reached up and ran her fingers through my hair lovingly. Instinctively, I leaned into her touch and made her giggle.

"One more kiss?"

"One more," I kissed her lips this time. A smoldering, until-we-meet-again kiss. Then turned around quickly to grab the paintbrush.

Dipping the paintbrush into the paint was mesmerizing. The liquid dripped down off the bristles, each and every one of them. And who knew how many there were? Hundreds, maybe thousands of little hairs that made up one whole thing. Each one serving its own purpose, yet still working as a team. As one.

I wiped the excess paint off onto the side of the bucket and starting painting around the trim of the large window on the far wall. I painted carefully, lost in the effects of the soothing paint strokes. It wasn't until I was done with the window that I had realized Marinette had made herself comfortable on the floor at my feet with another paintbrush and had started painting the wall at the base of the trim near the floor. I giggled when she looked up at me.

"What?" She asked, squishing her eyebrows together.

"How is it that you always manage to get stuff on your face?" I reached down and used the sleeve of my sweater to swipe off the yellow patch of paint Marinette had somehow managed to get on her cheek.

Her eyes widened quickly, an she grabbed my wrist, "Don't do that! Aww, that was my favorite sweater on you! Adrien…" She mumbled my name and pushed my arm away, grumpily picking up her paintbrush again.

"Your favorite sweater on me, huh?" I asked, taking in her clothing at the same time. She was once again wearing one of my t-shirts, and then a pair of faded blue capris. I guessed my shirts were the only thing in the closet that fit over her belly now and it was one of my t-shirts from back when I was a teen. My old black shirt with the colored stripes across the chest. I smiled quietly to myself, then dipped my cupped hand into the paint and catapulting it at Marinette in one swift motion. The paint smacked her back with a quick _shlock_ and within seconds the whole back of the shirt was covered in pale yellow paint. Marinette immediately tensed up, turning around with a slightly shocked look.

When she saw my fingertips dripping with paint, she grinned challengingly and started to stand.

"No baby, you got to sit. Doctors' orders." I laughed then bent down and started tickling Marinette, with paint still all over my hands. I aimed for the prime tickling spots, her armpits, her sides, the bottoms of her feet. Marinette laughed and tried, but failed, to tickle me back. When she realized she was losing, she grabbed the nearest paintbrush and swiped at my face with it. I reeled backwards, rubbing my nose harshly with my sweater.

"Hey!" I exclaimed. "That's cheating!" Marinette only gave me a wicked look and once again jabbed the paintbrush in my direction.

Breaking out in laugher, I reached for the paintbrush that had previously been in the paint bucket, and purposefully dripped a large amount of fresh paint on the top of her head. Her hair was drenched in yellow paint that ran down into her red hair ribbons.

Then, she pounced at me. Grabbing for the paint, she decorated my hoodie in random yellow splotches, her grin growing wider and wider. She was sitting on top of me just above my hips, and she held down one of my hands with hers and used the other to attack. With my free hand, I reached up and poked her nose with a paint filled fingertip. In return, my wife ducked down and wiped her nose on my shoulder.

"Aw, gross!" I squealed, wiggling to get out from under her.

"It's payback, kitty." Marinette said devilishly. Then, she got off me, letting me go. I sat up and panted heavily, catching my breath after laughing so hard. I was afraid to look at the damage done to the room, but I forced myself to look around.

Paint had been flung everywhere. Luckily, we had put plastic coverings on the floors, but even with that protection the trim we had just been outlining minutes before was speckled with yellow paint, the glass on the windows were smeared left and right, the walls had paint splotches that had started to drip all the way down to the floor.

I made eye contact with Marinette, who was leaning back on her hands. It was then that I really noticed just how much paint we had just wasted, as she was covered practically head to toe in the stuff. She gave me a once-over glance, and when our eyes met again, we lost it. Laughing hard into each other's shoulders without stopping until our bellies hurt.

"Good thing you bought extra paint, huh?" Marinette giggled. I leaned over and pecked her paint streaked lips.

"Good thing. I'm going to grab the camera; this moment needs to be accounted for."

"Sure," Marinette agreed. I stood up quickly and left the room, snatching up the camera and the extra paint can before returning to the room. Marinette still sat in her spot on the floor and I soon joined her, raising the camera high enough to also get the paint-splattered walls. We smiled in the first few photos, laughing in a few others at the mess we had made. I even managed to sneak a picture of us kissing.

We finished painting the room just as Alya and Nino got home. Since Marinette and I had agreed to make dinner, we decided to eat pizza instead. Because of the impromptu paint war, we hadn't quite been able to finish early enough to put a dinner together.

The pizza, however, was just what the four of us needed. Marinette was laying on the couch with her plate balanced on her stomach. I sat on the floor at her feet, flipping through the movie channels on the TV. And Nino sat with Alya on the other side of the couch, Alya's legs were over Nino's lap, and Nino was using this as an advantage to not have to hold his plate.

"What kind of movie are we feeling tonight, guys?" I asked, pulling up the different categories.

"Horror." Alya said.

Marinette swallowed harshly, "How about, no."

"Come on Marinette," Alya teased, "You're still too scared to watch them?"

"Oh yeah," I pitched in. "We decided to watch one a few weeks before you guys moved in, and it turns out that Marinette is more fun to watch than the actual horror movie." I laughed.

Marinette shot me a look, "Gee, thanks _Agreste_."

I shrugged my shoulders and turned back to the TV.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Marinette said. Tossing her empty plate onto the coffee table, she looked at Alya and Nino steadily. "Adrien and I have some news for you two."

"Let me guess… you're pregnant? Oh wait…" Alya fake smacked her forehead with a small smile and said, "Little too late for that one."

"No," Mari giggled. "We want you and Nino to be the godparents of our son. What do you think?" I swear if Alya had jumped off the couch any higher she would have flown into space. She excitedly danced around the room gleefully humming.

I clicked on the children and family movie category, flipping through the selection, watching the scene from the corner of my eyes.

"Of _course,_ we want to be the godparents! I love you girl!" Alya sat back down and squeezed Nino's hands. "Nino! We're going to be godparents!" She exclaimed.

"I know, babe." He was trying real hard to hide it, but his grin forced its way to the surface anyway. He pushed his glasses up and adjusted his tweaked hat, wrapping Alya into his arms. She kissed him quickly, before finally settling back down.

I put my arm back and pulled myself up onto the couch. "Now that that's settled, I found the perfect movie. Nino, will you get the lights?"

 **...**

"Getting the remaining Miraculouses will be difficult." I squalled angerly. Alderam's beady eyes stared at me dead on, narrowed with annoyance.

"I don't care how difficult it will be Gabriel, I _need them._ Or we won't be strong enough."

I rubbed my forehead, feeling that familiar headache come on. This man was infuriating, always asking for the impossible. As it was, it had taken me months to build up the collection of Miraculous I have now, and the fact that Alderam was forcing me to hand them over to him _and_ retrieve what's left was… unsettling to say the least.

"What do you need all of them for anyway?"

"Doesn't matter." Alderam decided, clicking his fingers together impatiently. "In fact… this could actually get quite interesting if they kept the remaining Miraculouses…"

I would be lying if I had said this man didn't make my blood freeze. Even knowing only, the simplest parts of his plans, the way he thought about each situation made me feel a fear like no other. This didn't feel right.

But, I was in too deep now. If I turned back, this man could do more than erase my existence. So, I swallowed down the fear, and let it drop into the cold pit of my stomach. There, it could hide until this was all over.

December.

I thought back to my grandchild, but just as quickly as the thought came, I pushed it into the back of my mind.

I needed to focus on the task at hand. The planning was coming to an end, and the execution was scheduled to start soon.

Gripping the Papillion pin in my hand, I scowled at Alderam.

"Fine, I won't go after them. The only thing left is figuring out how to get a whole army akumatized, without Chat Noir and Ladybug finding out."

Alderam tapped his cane into the ground, and I could almost imagine him smiling under his deep black hood. "You won't need to worry about that until the day we attack. I've got it all planned out, all the way down to the wiggle of Ladybug's toe."

 **Hello Fellow Miraculousers! So, I started this chapter at like, 10pm. Then stopped half way through to dance in the rain for a good hour or so (which I am totally going to regret tomorrow) and I am finishing this chapter at… roughly 2am. *sigh* The editing mistakes I am going to notice tomorrow… Anywaysss, hope you all enjoy this chapter. I needed some fun fluffy, generally good moments in this chapter so enjoy the fun-ness of this one!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The movie ended just as the sun had started to set. Immediately, I grabbed Marinette's hand and dragged her up the stairs with Alya and Nino following behind.

"You have to see this, it's amazing." I huffed as we reached the top of the stairs.

The four of us turned the corner and I opened the door that led into the nursery. The paint was dry by now, and Marinette and I had done a pretty good job at cleaning up our mess from our paint war. Nino assisted me in moving the chaise couch over to the window, and once we were done I instructed everyone to take a seat. Nino and I sat squished together on one side while Alya and Marinette sat together on the other.

Outside the window, the sun had just set enough to touch the tops of the Paris buildings. Within seconds, the entire nursery was illuminated in a golden-yellow, highlighting our faces with a vibrant hue.

"Woah, great color choice, Adrien." Alya beamed.

"Yeah," Marinette agreed, shooting me a small smile, "Great choice."

Together, the four of us sat together on the little pink chaise couch in the small yellow nursery, doused in a rich golden light to watch the sunset over Paris in a moment we had all secretly hoped would never end.

 **[Three Months Later]**

She went into labor on December 4th, starting at midnight on the date.

Hugo Agreste was born fourteen hours later, at 2:00pm, wide-eyed and ready for the world. His hair was black as night, and he had eyes as blue as the sky. He looked just like her, all the way down to the freckles sprawled out across his cheeks. In that moment, I realized that if anyone lay a hand on my son, they would have hell to pay. The love inside me swelled tenfold, bursting my heart and flooding my veins. And when I look at her, and look at my son, I know that everything will be different, and I know nothing can touch us.

...

"Are you ready for this, Gabriel?" Alderam headed in his cold, scratchy tone. I twisted my wedding band around my finger, delicately tracing it's outline as if to say, 'If you're still out there, tell me to stop. Tell me this is wrong' Yet, no voice came, and no sign told me to back off. If I did this now, there was no turning back.

"Yes," No turning back.

Smiling coolly into the darkness of the room, I slid my way across the floor to the far wall. In one swift motion, my hand activated the sensor and the wall opened to reveal the rows upon rows of Miraculouses. Something about seeing my months of hard work sprawled out before me sent a steel trap into my mind. One that was far from breaking down and crumbling. One that was strong enough to withstand even the strongest of hands. It pushed me forwards, possessing me to grab the Miraculouses from their concealed places in the wall, and toss them onto the table before Alderam, who looked at me greedily with his beady yellow eyes. His arm emerged from the hood of his robes, wrinkled and dark, with fingernails as sharp as daggers. His hand hovered over the Miraculouses as if they held a power he couldn't touch, for one taste of it would never be enough to feed his hunger.

That was what made me scared of him. However, his plan was so well thought out that I couldn't help but push away that fear and pull out the excitement. The desperation to see the plan in action, see my months of work play into Alderam's much larger scheme was a pull so strong that I felt my fingers twitch in yearning to transform and cause some much needed havoc amongst the town, but I held myself back.

"Hmm…" Alderam scuttled, "Prepare yourself, Gabriel. I will see you soon." And with that, Alderam disappeared in a huff of dark black smoke.

The Miraculouses lay abandon on the table as I walked towards the elevator, knowing full well that they weren't going anywhere anytime soon.

Natalie was waiting for me at the bottom of the elevator, a phone in hand.

"Sir, you have an incoming call from Adrien." She said.

"Adrien? I haven't heard from him in months." I said, failing to still the surprise in my voice.

Natalie stretched out her arm towards me, "You should take it."

The phone slipped into my hand with ease, it's high-tech advantages making it feel as though I were holding a device as light as a feather. I pressed the speaker against my ear and cleared my throat awkwardly, "Adrien, what is it?"

Adrien's muffled, static filled voice made its way through the speaker of the phone, filled with shock. "Father, I didn't think you'd pick up."

Crossing my arms against my chest I scowled into the phone, "What do you want, Adrien? I've got a busy schedule and talking to you right now is wasting my time."

"Father," Adrien's voice sounded hurt now, but I didn't care. I was telling the truth about not having enough time. There were things that needed to be taken care of. "I-just thought you would want to know that Marinette gave birth yesterday. We're still at the hospital if your schedule clears enough for you to meet your grandchild." The distaste was layered on heavily with those last few words.

"Why didn't you call me yesterday?"

"Well, we needed some time to-"

"Never mind, I'll come when I can. Goodbye, Adrien."

A pause, then, "Goodbye… father." The line went dead.

...

I hung up the phone solemnly, almost wishing that he hadn't picked up at all. I'd rather have left him a message then to live through that, and sadly, that was exactly how I had expected the conversation to go.

I slid open the glass door to our hospital room, shoving my phone into my pocket. Marinette lay on the bed with her hair down around her shoulders, feeding our son with tired eyes that hardly left his face to look at me as I came through the door.

"Did he answer?" She asked quietly, pulling back the dark blue blanket on Hugo's face to allow me to see him better. I reached out and caressed his cheek, his soft skin soothed me greatly.

"He did actually," I started, pulling up a chair beside the bed. "He made it clear he was busy, so I don't think we can expect him to come anytime soon."

Marinette sighed, "Mom and dad went out to grab me some food, they'll be back soon." About a year after we married each other, she started referring to her parents as "Mom and dad" instead of simply, " _my_ mom and dad." Whenever she said it that way, I felt as though I was really a part of a large, loving family.

Marinette shifted beside me, pulling Hugo away and replacing his food with a green pacifier that had a small kitten paw painted on its front. Marinette carefully placed him in my arms and reached over to adjust her shirt back into place.

He felt so small in my arms, so light. Hugo's eyes fluttered open to look up at me, sparkling with new life and curiosity. I "bopped" him lightly on the nose and smiled.

"Hey, kiddo. Did you get enough to eat? Are you feeling sleepy?" In response, Hugo smiled up at me so widely I was sure the corners of his mouth reached his ears. Joyful tears slipped out of my eyes and spilled over onto my cheeks, "Gee, Hugo, you're a real charmer already."

"Yeah, he gets it from his flirtatious, cat-like father." Marinette commented from the bed. I looked up at her with a smirk and pulled Hugo closer to my chest, wiping away the tears with the thumb of my now free hand.

"Let me tell you a secret buddy, you keep being charming towards your mother, and you'll get anything you want."

Marinette let out a sharp sarcastic "Ha!" before laying down against the white cotton pillows of the hospital bed. I was sure in the past two days that she hadn't slept for more than two or three hours, so I stood up and started walking around the room, patting the baby to put him to sleep.

"You don't have to do that, Adrien. I can."

"And let you keep the baby all to yourself for a day? I don't think so." I smiled, "I got him, Mari. Go to sleep."

Hugo squirmed in my arms for a moment, adjusting to get more comfortable I guessed, and he let out a wide-mouthed yawn. His pacifier was bumped out of his mouth, so I picked up and gave it back to him. Gosh, he looked so much like his mother. Maybe he had my nose, and wide eyes, but the rest was all her. And he felt so light in my hands, and his hair was so soft and short, and his skin was still red and swollen from birth, but he was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. I couldn't wait to bring him home and raise him as my own.

Finally, Hugo's two little eyelids fluttered shut, closing off his bright blue irises from the world. His breathing evened out into short little baby breaths. Reluctantly, I placed him down into the crib the hospital had provided and planted a small kiss on his forehead.

"Don't wake up, okay?" I whispered to Hugo. He simply let out a breath in his sleep. "Good." I looked behind my button-down shirt and Plagg came floating out into the open space.

Immediately, I held a finger to my lips, "Don't make too much noise, Plagg."

"Where's the baby?" Plagg asked excitedly. I pointed over to where Hugo was sleeping and Plagg flew over, hovering over the child's face. "Aww look at him. Do you think he likes cheese?"

"You are not feeding him cheese." I scolded quietly.

Plagg shrugged, "Oh well, more for me. When's Tikki coming?" I watched as Plagg caringly adjusted Hugo's blanket, almost as though he were tucking him in.

Smiling to myself at Plagg's soft-side, I replied, "Alya and Nino should be here any minute with her."

"Can you ask them to bring some camembert?"

About ten minutes later Tom and Sabine entered the room quietly, bearing a bunch of goodies from the bakery. Plagg immediately went to work on some of the macaroons Tom had brought, and Tom looked at Plagg with pride at how much he loved his baking.

Tom and Sabine had found out about Marinette and I being superheroes by pure accident. Tom found out first, after Sabine had been mind-controlled to take part in an akuma victim's actions. Tom being Tom, had chased after her trying to rescue her for hours, constantly putting himself in harm's way just to get his wife back. Ladybug and I tried so hard to get him to listen to us, but he wouldn't. So, Ladybug stood before him and de-transformed to show him that he had more than enough reason to trust the fellow superheroine before him.

They didn't exactly like the idea at first, but when Marinette explained how our powers and kwamii's kept us safe, and how she had been balancing the double life for so long, Tom and Sabine accepted it and let us do our thing. Of course, when they found out I was Chat Noir, I had a huge talking to by Tom, who wanted me to be sure his daughter would always be safe.

Sabine picked Hugo up in her arms and cradled him soothingly, whispering quietly to him. Tom stood behind her and watched his grandson for a moment, before Sabine finally let him have a turn to hold him. Tom kissed Hugo's forehead and started telling him a story about his favorite brownie recipe.

Sabine left the two alone and walked over to me, wrapping me in a warm hug. I sunk into her motherly embrace, inhaling the drifting scent of their bakery.

Sabine pulled away, "How are you feeling, Adrien?"

Just one look from her and I felt all the stress leave my body. Moms are amazing like that.

"I'm amazing. My son is just… amazing." I glanced over at Hugo, who was starting to wake up in Tom's arms. "I'm also slightly terrified." I admitted, shifting my gaze back over to Sabine.

She laughed lightly, "That feeling never goes away, but you two will be excellent parents. I don't think you should worry too much, Honey."

"Thanks mom." Suddenly, Marinette sat up in the hospital bed rubbing her eyes sleepily. Sabine was at her side in seconds.

"Marinette! Oh, I'm so proud of you. Hugo is so beautiful."

I bit back laughter as Marinette's sleepy new-parent brain scrambled to process what Sabine had just said.

"Uh-huh… umm… Thanks? I love you mom."

Tom turned around then, Hugo was starting to fuss a bit, but he didn't seem to mind. Instead he spoke while sticking the binky back in Hugo's mouth, "What about me?"

Marinette giggled, "I love you too dad." Just then Alya and Nino came sprinting through the door, Alya's eyes were wide and looking around, seeking out her new godchild.

"There he is!" She got up next to Tom and gave Hugo a small wave, "Hey there little guy, it's your auntie Alya. Remember me? He looks just like you, Marinette!"

Tom was soon forced to hand the baby over to Alya, and once Alya had a hold of him, Nino came up to her side and the two of them stayed in the corner of the room, cooing over the new baby. Tikki came out of hiding, but instead of going for the baby, she went straight to Marinette.

"Tikki!" said Marinette gleefully. "So glad you're here."

"How're you feeling, Marinette?" Tikki asked. Marinette giggled.

"About as good as you'd expect. Hugo would love to see you."

Tikki nodded and flew back over to the baby, picking up a rattle on her way over. She shook the rattle around the baby, making him reach up for the strange object above his face. Eventually, Tom and Sabine made their way back over to the baby as well, and I took the opportunity to crawl into bed next to Marinette, who took my hand in hers and squeezed it gently with a soft smile as I returned my gaze to the sweet scene in he corner of the room.

And I smiled too because, this was the family that I was fighting for.

...

Something held me back from going to that hospital. It just didn't feel right.

I couldn't understand the feeling, it was like a deep fiery pit in my stomach and every time I walked towards the door the fire would spread to my chest making it nearly impossible to take another step.

So, I didn't go to that hospital. And for the next few weeks following the birth, I didn't once visit my son's house, or bother his wife, or even send them a letter. They didn't hear a peep from me again.

The night of the Battle I met Alderam in an alley down a random Paris street. Since the Miraculous Team had set up round-the-clock guards at various locations, no doubt fully loaded with weapons, we had decided it was best to use out-of-the-way places like an alley to rendezvous.

Alderam appeared before me within seconds of my arrival. I was fully transformed as Hawkmoth and had my team of butterflies swarming around me in an anticipated fury, as if they were feeding off my anxious energies.

Alderam handed me a short, crumpled up list which contained the scribbled names and places we had previously agreed upon in our last meeting. I knew exactly what he wanted me to do, and I was ready.

Turning towards the rising moon I said, "See you on the other side, _Raven._ "

 **Hello fellow Miraculousers! The story is picking up its pace again, get ready for what's to come. Might go back and edit this later since I wrote it so quickly. Also, I made an edit to the last chapter that I had over looked which might help it be a bit less confusing towards the end there.**

 **By the way, I know this story is long and that it's only going to get longer from here on out but thank you all so much for continuing to read my work! It makes me so grateful and gives me something to look forward to every day.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello fellow Miraculousers!**

 **So, this chapter starts a few weeks before the ominous "Battle" begins, whereas the last chapter ended the day of The Battle. I hope that isn't too confusing for you guys, writing it this way was an accident and as is always is subject to change as the story goes on. Love you guys! Thank you!**

 **P.S. This chapter is a bit short because the next one will be quite long and amazing :)**

 **Chapter 11**

 **[Three weeks before The Day of The Battle]**

We got to bring our son home later that day, just as the sun was setting and the birds stopped chirping and the dull afternoon air settled into the town.

I unlocked the door to our house with one fumbling hand, the lack of sleep obvious in the slow murky movements of my wrist. Marinette stood behind me, barely able to keep her eyes open while Hugo drifted off to sleep in the car seat that was hooked in the crook of Marinette's elbow. Quietly, I twisted the doorknob and slid open the front door, eagerly awaiting the sweet comforts of home. Dozing in and out on a hard hospital chair had been doing no good for my back the past few days, and the cozy bed upstairs was calling my name.

Before the door opened all the way, I turned and looked at Marinette with a smile on my face, "Ready, Princess?" I asked.

The craziness of the past few days seemed to melt away from her face at those words.

"Ready. Welcome home, Hugo."

…

 **[Three weeks later-Day of The Battle]**

The moon was rising over the building of the first place on The List Alderam had handed me. The building was made of brick and was rotting in odd places, the paint of the trim around the windows was peeling and turning green from the years of moister that had unfortunately never been given much thought to over the years. I couldn't help but feel a little disgusted at the fact that some people were able to live like this, but I quickly pushed the thought away and got down to business.

Alderam and I had staked out the building, and more importantly, the people inside, for days before deciding to pick them. We had done this with everyone listed on the crumpled paper that was squished between the palm of my hand and my cold steel staff. Seeking out and preying on the people that would help make our plan… unstoppable.

I peered in through the left outside window, the one that looked out into the family's living room. Hand-me-down furniture and a small square television were the only main pieces of the room, the rest being filled with junky children toys, blankets, garbage, and other various objects. A woman with heavy bags under her eyes and stray hairs popping out of her bun was sitting in a kitchen chair with quiet tears streaming down her face while her husband stood over her with a beer bottle in his hand and bruises on his knuckles.

He was the weak one here. Don was his name. He was too weak to know what to do with the kind of power I could offer him. But the girl, she had a strength in her that would show great potential given the opportunity, one that would never surpass that of mine and Alderam's, but one that would make her a strong soldier in the upcoming war.

Cold wind blew around me in frenzy, making my butterflies swarm around me in a tight spiral. Catching one in my hands, I cupped my hands over the creature and watched as its luminescent white wings were clouded over with the dark black and purple essence my power emitted onto it.

Letting the evilized creature go, I uttered my mantra, "Fly my little akuma…" call it superstition, but it made me feel better to say it. Especially if I wanted our plan to go smoothly tonight.

The purple butterfly flew over to the window and vanished, reappearing on the other side in a heartbeat. It fluttered over and landed on the woman's bland wedding ring, instantly turning the object purple.

My brain vibrated, shaking me down to my core as my mind connected with hers. I could feel her pain and heartache, and the revenge the boiled beneath those feelings. Her thoughts swirled around in my mind; her memories clashed and sped through like a lifetime of scenes squished into one five-minute long movie. At this point, I was used to the feelings. The overwhelming senses that crowded my mind as I connected with my soldier's. It all happened within a split-second now.

"I am Hawkmoth," I started, like I'd done a thousand times before. "And you are now Vengeance. I will give you the power to hurt those who hurt you with a touch of your hand. In return, all I ask is that you join me and an army for a War against the Miraculous Holders."

The response was instantaneous. "Yes, Hawkmoth."

Vengeance followed me through Paris, assisting me with the rest of The List. Together, we continued to seek out those who names were written on it until we had gathered my completed army. We finished before the moon had touched the top of the sky.

Alderam would be very pleased with the progress.

…

Once Hugo was asleep in his nursery, I found my way down stairs and flopped down onto the couch. Marinette dragged her tired body over from the kitchen and crawled up beside me, situating herself between my legs so she could lie on my chest.

"So tired…" She said with a scratchy voice. I gathered up what little energy I had and brushed her loose hair away from her eyes. She looked up at me with a happy gleam.

"Me too," I mumbled. Marinette snuggled closer to my chest and slowly shut her eyes. A familiar rumble started and grew in my chest, the deep purr that she always enjoyed so much. A lazy smile crossed her face just before she fell into sleep's hands.

Before I could drift off to sleep myself, I reached over and touched the bracelet that was tied around Marinette's wrist, rubbing one of the beads between my fingertips with a smile on my face. It was the bracelet I had made her so many years ago, and she wore it on her right wrist just as I wore mine now.

When I had first made the bracelet, we were teenagers still. Alya had been planning Marinette's surprise party for weeks and every one of Marinette's closest friends knew about it. Juleka helped with balloons, Rose decorated the invitations, and Nino created the soundtrack.

Honestly, when Alya had invited me and asked for my help, I was surprised. I mean, being as clueless as I was back then, I couldn't see how important my role in being present at Marinette's birthday party was.

For the next few days after Alya invited me, I did anything I could to convince my dad to let me go, then spent the last few days leading up to the party agonizing over what gift to get her.

Expense wasn't an issue of course, but I had felt like if I bought her something extravagant, it just wouldn't be _Marinette_ enough. She was an amazing girl who deserved something with thought, something that took careful planning to complete. Marinette always gave out the most amazing gifts, and it was my turn to do the same. So, I had stayed up all night researching ways to make good luck bracelets, and spent hours detangling myself from string while Plagg helped pick out some of the beads that I put on it. I had decided to place the beads in the same order Marinette had done on hers. I even pulled hers out to compare my finished product to hers, she was so talented and perfect, and I didn't want to screw this present up for her.

After we started dating she had revealed that the bracelet was one of the most precious things she'd ever been given, and that she hadn't gone a day without it since I had given it to her.

I almost couldn't believe that something I made had that big of an impact on someone's life, and once again Marinette had proved just how amazing she was. The world needed more people like her.

When I woke up it was late in the night. The living room was pitch black, so dark that I had to squint my eyes to see anything. Marinette was sitting straight up, looking alert and fearful. The paleness on her face was obvious, even in the dark. My heart began to race in my chest; sweat perspired on the palms of my hands.

"What is it?" I asked, throat tight and voice small. Marinette made eye contact with me, tears in her eyes.

"It's begun."

Without explaining any further, she leapt off the couch and ran upstairs, moving faster than I had ever seen her move before. Heart racing, I got off the couch and fumbled my way through the darkness of the living room, making my way to the windows. Once my hands touched the soft fabric of the curtains I yanked them back and looked out at the world. White butterflies were swarming through the streets in frenzy, taking sharp turns, setting of car alarms, and stirring the sleeping patrons of Paris.

I looked up into the distance. Big mistake. There were at least fifteen people flying around, zapping objects or, I hated to think, people, with their various powers, including another twenty Akumatized people on the streets doing the same thing. Immediately dropping the curtains, I slid down the hallway and started pounding on Alya and Nino's bedroom door with a force that could be heard from across the world.

"GET UP!" I screeched. "ETW, Alya, Nino, we gotta go!" The door opened within seconds with a very frightened Nino standing at the doorway.

"What?!" He asked with his glasses resting crooked on his nose and hair sticking up in odd places.

I grabbed Nino by the shoulders and gave him a hard shake to be sure he was paying attention.

"ETW, Nino. Get Alya and go help the others. Marinette is going to take Hugo to mom and dads. We'll meet you guys at the Tower, now _go!_ "

Abandoning Nino, I ran upstairs and grabbed Hugo's emergency bag, joining Marinette in the car within seconds. Starting up the car, I peeled out of the driveway with Marinette and Hugo in the backseat, Marinette trying desperately to comfort Hugo as we speed along. I kept my eyes peeled to the road, swerving around butterflies as carefully as possible while following the route to Marinette's parents' house. The nearly empty streets allowed for us to get there within minutes. We jumped out of the car, Marinette with Hugo and me with the bag, and barged through the front door of the bakery. Luckily, Sabine and Tom were already awake from the commotion outside, and we were greeted with solemn looks that held back tears.

Marinette handed Hugo over to her dad, squeezing Tom into a tight good-bye kind of hug. It was obvious that Tom didn't want to let go of his little girl, because if he let go, it could be for the last time. A knot formed in my stomach at the thought.

Once Marinette turned to hug her mother, I dropped the bag and rushed over to Hugo, who was staring up at me with his bright blue eyes, just like his mothers. Brushing his black hair back, I planted a kiss onto the line of freckles that traced his cheek to his nose. Then, I looked up at Tom.

"Don't worry Adrien," he said, choking back a sob. "We'll take good care of him."

Sabine looked at me from over Marinette's shoulder, "Promise." She said quietly.

I nodded, backing up and twisting my ring around on my finger. Marinette joined me at my side, tears spilling over her eyes as she whispered, "I love you guys."

And with that, we transformed, and flung ourselves out onto the crazed streets of Paris.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello fellow Miraculosuers! Guys! This chapter was 21 PAGES LONG. I just… I want to cut it in half but… I can't.**

 **This one took forever to post because it required lots of planning and editing. I hope you guys enjoy.**

 **P.S. Please don't hate me**

 **Chapter 12**

...

My army was set loose at midnight, allowed to wreak havoc through the streets of Paris for as long as they needed. They all shouted happily in my mind, making me smile with the glee of a madman.

The tap of my staff on the cobblestone streets interrupted our combined thoughts, bringing me back down into the real world. I backed down an old alleyway, allowing the darkness to swallow me whole. Alderam appeared behind me, just as he had done so many times before.

"Nice job, Gabriel," he spoke aloud. The raspy sound in his voice seemed to have increased ten-fold, sending a chill down my spine unpleasantly. Once again, I turned towards the man shrouded in a black hood, enfolded in darkness. His boney, dark, scarred hand reached out to me with a non-verbal expectation.

Reaching into my pocket I took out the crumpled list and slapped it onto the palm of his hand. Alderam's skin was as cold as ice, and when the gold rings he was wearing touched my skin it burned like no other, making me tear my hand away from him. Alderam simply chuckled into the darkness.

"You're missing something." He sang deeply.

Clutching my hand, I said, "You'll get the rest after I have Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculouses in my possession. That is what we agreed upon, after all." I snarled.

"That is not what I meant, I need an insurance policy, something that will help me be sure that you will indeed give me what I seek after your side of the deal has been met."

Straightening myself out, I asked, "What do you need now?" Maybe, on any other day, the attitude would have gotten me killed. But at this point I was so done with everything Alderam was asking of me, I wanted to know why he couldn't do something himself for once.

Alderam moved as though to take off his hood but seemed to change his mind and took a step back instead, once more laughing to himself as though he had just been told a joke that only he could hear. "Dear, Gabriel, it is not an object I seek. It is your voice."

Silence filled the alleyway. The chaotic noises of the battle in town were now mere whispers echoing off from some place Far From Here. I blinked at Alderam as though he were mad, which perhaps, he was.

"My voice?" I asked weakly. Alderam nodded, the cloth of his hood bounced up and down at the movement. He placed his wicked hand back onto his staff and tucked his arms into his sides in a boss-like stance.

Alderam drew a breath, releasing a white cloud of dust into the air, and the dust cloud formed into the shape of a hand.

"Just temporarily of course. Just until the _deal_ had been _met._ " The cloud-hand then twitched, tightening its form into something more solid, then suddenly, the hand shot into my mouth and down my throat. It felt as though flames licked the sides of my throat, filling my nostrils with smoke. I sputtered and spat, grabbing for the cloudy hand to get it away, but it was too late. The hand calmed and slithered out of my mouth smoothly and carefully, emerging with a glowing ball of light.

"Your voice," Alderam commented at my stunned expression. A part of me was desperate to try and speak, but I knew that nothing would come of it if I tried. Instead, Alderam continued, "Fight your battle, _Hawkmoth._ Get those Miraculouses. And remember, I never break a deal."

…

"To the right, to the right!" I screamed. Ladybug dodged a rouge fireball just in time, the fireball fizzed out, skipping along the bland, dark street.

"Thanks, Chaton!" She wound up her yo-yo and tossed it at the akuma-victims object, which was, of all things, a box of matches.

I crushed the matches under my foot and Ladybug purified the akuma. Before Ladybug could run off the fight the next one, I grabbed her arm and halted her.

"Wait a second," I said breathlessly.

"What? We have to go, there's more! Our team can't take this many. Stop wasting time!" Ladybug tugged but I tightened my grip on her wrist.

"No, we need to stop." I said, "Look around, there's too many. If we keep using our powers, were going to have to keep regenerating our kwamii's. Plagg and Tikki can't take it, and more importantly, _we_ can't take it."

Ladybug looked at me with wide eyes, "What're you saying, Chat Noir? We can't just give up!"

Letting go of her wrist I shook my head, "And I'm not saying we should. I just think we should go to the source. Get rid of the source, and we get rid of the whole army. If anything, our team can hold off and protect the people. That will buy us enough time to find Hawkmoth and bring him down."

"But we've never found Hawkmoth before, what makes you think we can find him now?"

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, allowing myself one minute to think. Sixty seconds. Our team had been fighting off akumas for two hours now, we were all having trouble keeping the war contained, the people of Paris were in immediate danger. Getting them to safety needed to be top priority.

Problem number two would be our team. We needed the Miraculouses, we needed the help the other kwamii's could offer. Without them, our team would get weaker by the hour. Hunger, sore muscles, human-on-akuma fighting was going to end badly no matter how you looked at it. However, I didn't think that we could take care of that problem, not until we tracked Hawkmoth down.

Hawkmoth would want to show himself sooner or later. Letting loose his Big Plan would make him _yearn_ to show himself off as the leader of this destruction. After all, Ladybug and I were _his_ main priority and the main way to get our attention? Creating an army of which he would lead.

Opening my eyes, I turned to look at Ladybug, her eyes studied me intently from beneath her mask.

"We need to rally the team." I stated. "Half of the team needs to be pushing the people back, putting them in safe-houses or doing their best to get them out of Paris. The others, the best fighters of the team, need to stay in Paris and fight off the akumas long enough for you and me to meet Hawkmoth. I think I know exactly how to get his attention."

Suddenly, a giant sonic _boom_ rattled the buildings around us. My head shot up into the sky expectantly, as did Ladybug's. A woman with long dark hair around her shoulders and eyes as black as death floated elegantly down to us, an evil smile planted on her face.

"Ladybug…" I trailed off.

The woman wore dark black and purple clothing, almost mimicking the style of a knight's armor. Stamped into the black metal was the emblem of a butterfly.

When she spoke, her voice echoed around us, but her lips hardly moved. It was almost as though was using the wind to speak for her.

"I am Vengeance. Second in Command to Hawkmoth. Hawkmoth has a message for Ladybug and Chat Noir."

Ladybug and I shared a look and I said nervously, "We're Ladybug and Chat Noir."

Vengeance tilted her head to the side creepily, raising an eyebrow. I couldn't help but notice that one of her gloved hands seemed to have a power emitting from it that was eerily like that of my cataclysm. Vengeance said, "Hawkmoth wishes to meet you at the base of the tower by the time the sun rises."

I gulped.

Vengeance rose into the air once more and immediately I took out my stick, ready to fight, but Ladybug grabbed the silver cylinder and gave me a hard look. Slowly, I put my weapon down and watched as Vengeance sped off into the early morning sky.

"The tower." Ladybug echoed.

A realization hit me.

"Nino and Alya are there. I told them we'd meet them. If Hawkmoth is planning on meeting us there-"

"We need to go." Ladybug swung her yo-yo and flung into the air, and I followed in suit staying right on her tail.

We reached the tower with little obstacles. I had figured that was Hawkmoths way of offering a safe passage for us.

Nino and Alya were having troubles fighting off an akuma victim. Luckily, Alix was there too, helping to defend the pair. She used her special power and the akuma victim went down.

Fear began to tear at my insides. The sun would be rising in less than an hour. Hawkmoth would be waiting for us. We didn't have much time to prepare ourselves, and we still needed to get the team on board with our new plan.

Together, Ladybug and I walked up to Alya, Nino, and Alix, who were all breathing heavily and looking like they would pass out at any moment.

I went over to the storage boxes we had planted at the base of the tower and grabbed a few of the many bottles of water. Passing them around quickly, I explained the new plan to the trio while they rested.

"We just need to let the rest of the team know."

"Dude, why don't you just use the intercoms?" Nino said, wiping sweat from his brow. He and Alya were dressed in the uniforms that Marinette had made the team. The fabric was made of a material that was nearly impenetrable and each person's costume was made custom to their specific needs and fighting styles.

Nino wasn't the best hand-to-hand combater, but he was an awesome working from far away. He could shoot bullseyes from vast distances without a sweat. It was impressive. So, his suit was heavy with guards and full of pockets that could fit any long-distance object such as sling-shots, dart guns, a spot for a bow and some arrows, even something for vials of smoke bombs.

Alya was also wearing her uniform. She was good at hand-to-hand combat and was our best fighter with long weapons such as sticks, javelins, and swords. She claimed it was from all the time spent as Rena Rouge.

Alya's uniform was more light and breathable, with loops around her legs and a nice secure belt to help hold her weapons. Strapped to her leg now was one long metal pole for defense. She even had fingerless gloves that came with protective padding to keep her hands safe while fighting hand-to-hand.

"The intercoms?" I asked.

Ladybug punched me playfully in the arm, "Come on, kitty. I've been out of commission for nine months and even _I_ know what he's talking about."

Nino walked up to me and touched the small device that was attached to the lip of my costume.

"Intercoms." He said.

"Right," I pulled the mic up awkwardly, bringing it up unnecessarily close to my lips. I cleared my throat and spoke into it loudly. "Team! Ladybug and I have a new plan!"

Nino, Alya, Ladybug, and Alix all clutched their ears painfully and Ladybug grabbed for my mic.

"Not so loud! We can all hear you just fine."

I put the mic down and smiled sheepishly.

"Jeez," Ladybug said. "Considering you're rich, you really can't use technology, can you? Silly kitty here let me do it."

Ladybug sat down cross-legged on the ground, and I glanced up skywards again. Clouds started to form overhead, but the sky was lightening with morning. Time was short.

Ladybug explained the plan and sorted out the team. Sabrina, Max, Myleene, and Rose would all begin evacuating civilians. Max would help fend off any stray akuma's that came their way since he still had his Miraculous. Afterwards, he would meet the rest of us at the Tower.

The rest of the team, Alix, Chloe, Juleka, Kim, and Ivan, would stay in Paris and do their best to keep the battle contained. Ladybug and I would meet with Hawkmoth, Alya and Nino would wait and be our back-up.

The sun began to rise, coming up and disappearing again behind dark stormy clouds.

"Positions!" I yelled. Alya and Nino took fighting stances behind Ladybug and me, Alix ran off, just like a tiger, down the streets of Pairs to be where she was needed. Reaching down, I clicked the button on my com system and shut it off, Ladybug did the same.

A furry of white butterflies descended around us, Hawkmoth at the center of their swarm. Instinctively, I reached back for my baton, grasping the cold steel in my leather-gloved hand until I was sure my knuckles had turned white.

The butterflies dissipated and just Hawkmoth stood in front of us. For some reason, I felt an aura of fear surrounding him, but his composer was cool and still.

I reached out for Ladybugs hand, lacing my fingers between hers for reassurance. Here we were, standing together, meeting the one and only Hawkmoth for the first time in our many years of super heroism. Fear was what I had expected to feel upon laying my eyes on him for the first time, but instead I all I felt was a strange tingle of familiarity. Something about the way he looked was… like someone else I knew. Someone… but I couldn't figure out who.

Hawkmoth glanced down at our intertwined hands and smiled.

"Well, here we are Hawkmoth." Ladybug spat. "What do you want?"

Hawkmoth opened his mouth although to respond, but quickly shut it again and instead closed his eyes. Within seconds Vengeance appeared and touched down onto the ground, that creepy smile planted on her face.

"Yes, Hawkmoth." She said, answering some untold question. I felt Ladybug grip my hand a little tighter, then let go.

Vengeance looked at Hawkmoth, then turned her black-eyed stare to Ladybug and me.

"It seems as though Hawkmoth would like the earrings and ring you two possess, and he has instructed me to retrieve these items at any cost. Would we like to play this the easy way, or the hard way?"

"Why doesn't Hawkmoth just fight us himself?" Ladybug asked. Before I could stop her, she continued, "Is he _that_ afraid of a little cat and bug?"

I could see Hawkmoth knit his eyebrows together in anger, fists clenched at his sides. Vengeance laughed into the morning light, a small sprinkling of rain began to come down, as if reacting to the tense situation bellow.

Vengeance spoke for Hawkmoth again, "Two against two? Sounds like a plan."

I readied my baton, signaling for Alya and Nino to wait with my free hand. I could feel their hesitation at my given command.

Vengeance made the first move, thunder cackled between her fingertips loudly, charged with a fierce energy. She flew over and reached out for Ladybug, but I was quick to extend my baton between them. Her energy instead transferred over to my baton, heating it up until I could feel the scorching heat melt the leather of my gloves.

"Ah!" I screamed, dropping my weapon. Vengeance ignored me and attacked Ladybug again. Ladybug summer salted to the side, dodging the advance, and quickly found her feet to throw her yo-yo around Vengeance's ankles. Vengeance was fast to act, spiraling up into the air quickly to slip out of the bonds, her long dark hair flew out behind her and the lightning between her fingers grew larger.

She laughed maniacally, "You see, _bug,_ my powers are like your side-kicks here. Except, they're _much deadlier._ "

The rain began to come down harder now, hard enough to start clouding my sense. Once more, Vengeance swooped over, reaching out a hand to touch Ladybug or I. Whoever got in her way first. Before she could lay a hand on one of us though, she spiraled out of control, slamming shoulder-first into the ground painfully. Looking up, I saw Nino perched on the balcony of a near-by building, sheathing his dart gun.

"No," I whispered.

"Nino, run!" Ladybug screamed, sprinting towards the building. Nino ducked inside the building, quickly disappearing behind its walls. While he ran I bent over and scooped up my baton, turning around to face Vengeance, but she had already recovered from the shock of being foiled and was stomping her way towards the building Nino was in. The lighting had started to crawl up her arms, creating steam in the air around her as the heat contrasted the cold rain. Vengeance flew through a window and was gone from sight.

Ladybug stopped running and stood her ground beside me.

"Alya!" My throat was beginning to scratch from the screaming. "Cover Nino!"

I could only hope she had heard me and went after him. Next to me, Ladybug was flung backwards, and her body smacked into a leg of the Eiffel Tower.

 _Did she hit her head?_ I thought. _Oh god what if she hit her head?_

Hawkmoth stood over her, reaching out for her earrings.

Before he could get any closer, I jumped up onto his back and yanked him backwards, tackling him to the ground in the process. We rolled around in the cold rain puddles beneath the tower, clawing at each other desperately trying to gain leverage over the other. Finally, I got ahold of a bar in the opposite leg of the tower and I grabbed onto it, hoisting myself up to my feet.

Hawkmoth rolled over and jumped up onto his feet, wiping a trail of blood that had been trickling out of his nose. The anger festering beneath his skin was obvious, even to me. I could almost see the fumes igniting in his eyes.

He lunged at me, arms outstretched. Jumping aside I grabbed my baton and swung it in his general direction, hoping to land a hit. No luck. Hawkmoth immediately adjusted to face me again and swirled his staff in the air, circling me. I mimicked his moved carefully with my baton, keeping eye contact. The rain thundered down around us, flicking off my cat ears, onto my shoulders, and down to the ground. It seemed to come down heavier with each passing second. Neither Hawkmoth or I dared to make a move. I took the opportunity to catch my breath.

Then, a voice came from behind us, making me jump. Ladybug.

"Are you two going to stand there all day, or are we going to fight?" Anger flashed over Hawkmoths face. My muscles tightened, preparing to defend Mi'Lady.

He threw his staff like a javelin at Ladybug, but she jumped over it as it came towards her, using her yo-yo to grab the staff and fling it in my direction. Grabbing the staff out of the air, I hurdled it over the building Nino was hidden in. Far away from Hawkmoth. I hoped that Nino and Alya weren't in too much trouble with Vengeance.

Ladybug ran up to my side, and readied herself, swaying a little as she took a fighting stance.

"Come on Hawkmoth, that staff couldn't have been the only trick up your sleeve, now, could it?" She taunted. Maybe she had hit her head. I wanted to tell her to shut up, but she gave me a look. The look that told me she had a plan.

I smirked, relaxing against the leg of the Eiffel Tower, "Yeah, Hawkmoth." I started. "All these years of planning and akuma's, and you're defeated by the loss of your staff? That doesn't sound very _godlike_ to me."

Hawkmoth's fists clenched at his sides, but he remained silent. I kept going.

"Cat got your tongue?"

That seemed to get him. He raised his arms up in the air and closed his eyes dramatically. I looked at Ladybug worriedly, hoping that whatever crazy plan she had worked out in her head would be successful. Ladybug didn't meet my gaze, instead she was pressing her head into the palm of her hands as though she was in pain. I moved to make sure she was okay, but before I could get very far, dozens of akumas swooped down and landed all around us. They covered the whole area with ease, and I had a sinking feeling that this wasn't even the entire army.

I swallowed down a gulp. Ladybug looked up at me, fear in her eyes.

Alya and Nino came crashing out of the building behind us, covered in fresh burns where their exposed skin lay. They were covered in sweat and Nino looked dead on his feet. Vengeance followed soon after, flying over the tops of her fellow akuma victims with a smile on her face. The lightning between her finger tips were now extinguished.

My heart was beginning to feel heavy. If Nino and Alya looked this bad fighting a single akuma, the rest of the team had to be in the same state, or worse.

The need for this war to end grew larger than ever. My son, my family, my friends, they were all suffering because of the greed of this monster. It was time for it to end.

Switching on my intercom I spoke lowly, carefully.

"Team, if there's anyone left, we need you. Everyone. Meet Ladybug and I at the tower." I switched the coms off. Ladybug looked at me, tears in her eyes.

"Hugo," she whispered.

I shook my head, "He's okay. Your parents are long gone from Paris by now." I assured her. Once again, my heart clenched, sadness piercing it, but also running it. Like an engine that worked on hopelessness, it was the same one that kept me going through my father's neglect and abuse. The one that told me, "Even though it seems hopeless, there's a light at the end of the tunnel. You just have to find it."

Find the light.

Hawkmoth stared at Ladybug and I intently, waiting. It was almost like a temporary truce as we waited for what was left of our team to arrive. Terror screamed at my ears, telling me no one was coming, everyone was gone. But then, off in the distance, we heard a battle cry. One so powerful, so hopeful, that I could feel the ground beneath us vibrate with power.

Those who still had their Miraculouses appeared first, Alix, Max, and Kim came running through the streets, cheering on the rest of the team who followed close behind.

Every single person was still here. Still fighting.

A smile played on my lips.

Hope. Light. It was coming.

And it was ready to fight.

…

All of them survived? How could that be?

" _Akuma's,"_ I spoke in my mind. A hundred voices shouted back in response, but I quickly silenced them. _"Fight with no consequences. I want the Miraculouses, no matter the cost_." I commanded. Shouts again, mostly of excitement.

I wouldn't ever let my army know it, but I was terrified. Their whole team survived, and without all their Miraculouses. Alderam had wanted me to stop stealing all the Miraculouses, he said that it would make the battle more interesting.

Taking them, all would have made it easier to defeat them.

Their team took their places beside Ladybug and Chat Noir. Tired, scathed, bruised and beaten, but ready to fight till the end.

The thing was, I was ready too. My determination was tripled in caparison to theirs. After all, I was fighting for love.

Giving the signal, my army attacked, racing around this way and that, throwing objects, fighting hand-to-hand, or just plain crazed power usage. Of course, I went for the four main kids standing before me. Ladybug and Chat Noir, as well as Adrien's friend and his wife. I couldn't quite understand why those two stood so close behind Ladybug and Chat Noir. Trusting someone whose face you've never seen couldn't have been an easy task, yet, here they were, protecting them to the end of the line.

"Hawkmoth it's time to stop this madness." Ladybug breathed out. Clamping my mouth shut tighter, I raised an arm outward, sending a stream of butterflies their direction. They fought easily, but it didn't matter how easily they could swipe the butterflies away, what mattered is that their energy was waning.

I would win. No matter the cost.

Nothing else mattered except those Miraculouses.

…

"Butterflies? That's the best you got?" I called out, waving away the last of the beautiful white creatures. "Seems a little… pathetic." I whispered the last part to myself, an attempt to bring out the narcissistic Chat Noir everyone knew and loved.

Hawkmoth's shoulders shook as though he were laughing, but no sound came out. Briefly, I wondered why he hadn't said a word to us since we met. It seemed a bit odd.

Beside me, Ladybug stumbled over the pavement, grabbing my shoulder to steady herself. I risked glancing away from Hawkmoth and looked at Mi'Lady. Concern racing through me.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine, just need to catch my breath." She responded shortly.

Hawkmoth skirted around Ladybug and I and jumped straight at Alya and Nino.

"No!" I screamed, lunging. I missed Hawkmoth by only a few inches, slamming into the ground at full speed. A pair of pitch black shoes appeared in front of me as I stood up to rub my elbow, Vengeance.

Her arm twitched, lighting decorated her fingers again with a rolling thunder sound emitting from within her. The heat from the lighting created steam in the air where the rain met the bolts, hissing and fizzling against their surface.

Quickly, I stood up and was pushed right back down to my feet.

"Stay, kitty." Vengeance uttered. "All it takes is a touch. You won't feel a thing."

Ladybug lunged, sending Vengeance flying far from my reach. The pair rolled across the cobblestone, just narrowly avoiding a nearby akuma fight between Chloe and a short man who was attacking her with what looked like hair brushes. But, it was raining so hard, that I could've easily just been seeing things.

The thought was still funny.

Hawkmoth sent another swarm of butterflies in my direction. Considering butterflies were harmless, they were really beginning to tire me out. Distracting me from the real deal.

While I fought around the butterflies, Vengeance and Ladybug splashed through a puddle before Vengeance gained leverage, using a nearby object to pull herself up. I immediately identified the object as Alya's metal pole, which had previously been laying on the ground deep in a puddle. It was now in the grasp of Vengeance who infused the pole with lighting. She was smiling evilly at her new weapon of destruction.

Ladybug was on the ground at Vengeance's feet, struggling to stand up. Swaying with the effort of holding herself up. When Hawkmoth threw her earlier, she had to have hit her head. There was no denying that now, and she was weak.

Alya was nearby Ladybug's fight, trying to take the electrified stick back before Vengeance could use it, but Hawkmoth was right on her back. He was attacking her repeatedly with pulsing swarms of butterflies that picked at her hair and clothes, tearing her away from Ladybug's fight. The only good outcome from that, was that Hawkmoth couldn't direct his butterflies at two people at once, so my butterflies dissipated to pick on Alya, freeing me from their attacks.

Alya was getting desperate, attempting everything she could to get that pole back. She was failing.

No.

Running, racing, feet pounding in the rain and stomping through the puddles, I didn't stop. I just kept going, dodging rouge akumas and moving around pairs of fighters. The closer I got, the farther away Ladybug's fight seemed to be. Vengeance was raising the lightning infused pole in the air, Alya and Nino were right behind her, trying to attack her and Hawkmoth at the same time with no progress. Still too far away, I threw my baton at Vengeance, hitting my mark.

The lightning rod flew from her hands and clattered to the ground beside her. Alya swung around, round-house kicking Vengeance right in the face and sent her flying once more, throwing her right into the middle of a crowded akuma fight. Her screams told us all we needed to know.

…

This girl could put up a strong fight. It had taken me almost a half-hour to get her weapon away from her, and another good five minutes to get her distracted enough for Vengeance to take said weapon.

" _Vengeance, the metal rod!"_ I yelled in my mind, trying desperately to drown out the other sounds of my army. The ones of screams and cries, the sounds of defeat.

Vengeance grabbed the pole, immediately drying out the surface and infusing it with lightning. Even I hadn't realized just how powerful she was. The full extent of her power could prove fatal, worrying me a little. Luckily, so far, she seemed to remain loyal to my commands and my commands only.

The girl, Alya, was struggling beside me, trying to reach out for her stick despite it being untouchable now. To distract her, I sent butterflies out to taunt her while I turned to fight Nino. He was using a sling-shot to throw whatever debris from the fights he could find on the ground at me. Long-distance. That was his strength.

Suddenly, a metal streak crossed my vision, an object tumbling through the air so fast that I could hardly recognize it, except for the glowing green paw that slid past.

The newly-formed lightning rod fell out of Vengeance's hands, distracting me. I had been counting on Vengeance to keep that weapon longer than mere seconds. Alya wiggled out of the grasp of my butterflies and round-house kicked my second-in-command, sending her to a pack of fighters.

I winced, clutching my ears at the sound of her screams in my mind. The sound weakened my bones, causing me to collapse to my knees. Desperately I reached out for anything, anything that could stop the noises that pestered me. I didn't care that I looked weak to Ladybug and Chat Noir, I just wanted to scream and cry, I wanted to drown out the sounds. There were too many. It was obvious that I had never taken on more than one akuma at a time and war hadn't been a good place to start.

My hand wrapped around an object, something hard and cylinder. The cold rain pierced the exposed skin on my face as I turned on my back to stand up, object in hand. Screams pierced my brain and my muscles strained to oblige to my commands. However, I stood up on my own two feet, and I turned with a might like no other, feeling the object in my hand sink into its unsuspecting victim.

…

Vengeance's screams filled the air, and almost immediately, Hawkmoth dropped to his feet, clutching his ears. Alya. Nino, and Ladybug all looked at me, but I didn't have an explanation.

Hawkmoth sat at our feet, clawing at the rain puddles until blood erupted from his fingertips. His mouth was open as though he were screaming, but no sound emerged.

In the distance, both sides of the war were beginning to grow quiet and cease their fighting, realizing that the person running the whole show was down. Hawkmoth crawled across the cobblestone, reaching out with one hand. Too late I realized what he was grabbing for.

A single silver gloved hand grabbed onto Alya's metal pole, and within seconds he was standing, staring at nothing in particular with a fire that burned deep in his eyes. His arm reeled back, ready to strike whatever came his way first.

Suddenly, Alya shouted, "Chat Noir!"

I looked over, but she was pointing in a different direction. Following her gaze, I found Ladybug, who had chosen now to try to stand again. She was wobbling slightly as she straightened herself up, unaware that she was now standing directly in the line of Hawkmoth's hit.

"Ladybug, no!" I ran on all fours, moving as fast as I could, but it wasn't fast enough.

The hair on my skin rose up and time froze. A single white butterfly flew around me in an achingly slow motion, brushing my cheek lightly as it flew past. Exhaling a breath, I whirled around on instinct, scooping up my baton from the ground. My body moved easily, twisting my baton and slapping something hard. I heard a satisfying grunt and the sound of a body hitting the floor with a splash.

The next sound though, was a sound that would echo in my head for years. A sound that would give me nightmares late in the night and make me wake up in tears.

The blood-curdling scream of my wife. Shrieking into the thundering rain, the only noise I could hear above all others.

Standing back up, stunned, I stared at my feet as a train of swirling blood mixed with rain soaked into the soles of my shoes.

The world fell silent, not even the exhale of a breath could be heard.

When I was able to move again, my legs drug forwards with a mind of their own, moving faster and faster, traveling towards my wife as though magnetized to her very core.

I finally reached her. Rain soaked her skin, jumping up off the puddles that surrounded her body. Alya's metal pole protruded from Ladybug's side, ripping straight through the spot just above her hip. Splintered fabric fluttered to the ground in pieces from the hole in her suit.

Collapsing to my knees, I pulled Ladybug's torso up onto my lap and quickly slicked her wet hair back from her face, rocking her back and forth. Her scream filled my ears even though her lips weren't open, and her breathing hitched as she tried to catch her breath.

Marinette de-transformed, reaching up to touch my face. Blood trickled out of her mouth, but she clutched her side carefully and shook her head at me with wide, blue eyes.

"What're you doing?" I screamed, looking at Tikki. "Why'd you let her do that? Turn her back into Ladybug! Now!"

Tikki was crying, sinking to the ground she said hoarsely, "I _can't_."

 **Fdjlfkajdfj The Story does NOT end here guys! So, yayy? But uh, it's ending soon. I love you guys and thank you so much! Sorry this one is extremely long.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Marinette? Marinette!" I cried, clutching onto her shoulders with fear that if I let go, she would too. I couldn't see, tears flooding down their chosen paths on my cheeks, dripping off onto her blood-soaked stomach. Her face was so pale, and sickly. The light in her blue bell eyes was dying. _My girl_ was dying, and it was all. His. Fault.

I gently placed Marinette onto the ground, Alya rushed to her side in seconds and immediately set to work finding a way to keep Marinette from bleeding out.

I stood up slowly, tensely. A dangerous cat in the wild who had finally landed his prey. Anger grew in my chest, toughening the edges of my heart with a cold, growing darkness. I calmly slid my baton out from its spot behind my back and growled deeply in my throat, staring right into Hawkmoths purple eyes. His eyes weren't filled with evil though, they were filled with despair. Crippling despair like what he had done was something he wasn't meant to do. Almost like, he regretted it.

I didn't care that he looked like that. All I cared about was that Marinette was dying, and that Hugo would never see his mother again, and that it was all Hawkmoth's fault.

The man stared at me with a plea, a plea to kill him.

I crouched down, ready to pounce. My baton felt cold in my hands, as though someone had flash frozen its surface, and it felt good. All the pent-up emotions that I had held inside for so long, the depression, the anger, the endless sleepless night and neglect from my own parents bubbled up and boiled over, feeding the harmful energy that radiated from my being.

Sprinting forwards, I pounced at Hawkmoth, pinning him to the cold, wet ground. Keeping my baton eerily steady with one hand, I used the other to punch his face. One good hit here, and another good hit there. His left eye began to turn purple, a cut split open on his cheek dripping blood into the side of his mouth. Hawkmoth didn't even try to fight back, he simply lay back with his arms pinned at his sides, letting me use him as a personal punching bag.

"Chat Noir," a faint whisper in the wind. One that was easily drowned out by the blood pumping in my ears.

Hawkmoth's unwillingness to fight back wasn't enough for me to stop. I kept going and going, until my knuckles split open underneath my leather gloves and a warm sticky liquid pooled inside. When that happened, I raised my baton in the air, ready to strike the evil man beneath me. And I wanted to do it, god I wanted to do it so bad. It would be so easy. I could summon my cataclysm, infuse the baton with its power just like Vengeance did, and strike. Strike, just like Hawkmoth did. Ladybug and I would never have to worry about him again.

But, Ladybug would have to worry about me.

And what would my son think?

I hesitated.

"Chat, _stop_ ," That voice again, just barely distinguishable through the downpour of rain. I hadn't realized it, but my cataclysm was at the ready, waiting for me to press the palm of my hand against my baton and infuse it with it's magic.

Breathing heavily, my hands started to shake. Hawkmoth's purple eyes looked up at me with an unreadable stare. Here he was, our arch nemesis, lying defeated on the ground in a swirling pool of his own blood. I had to tell myself that was enough. There was no more that needed to be done.

It almost failed.

Until, "Adrien," Marinette whispered. It was so faint, carried off by the wind. Anyone with a normal hearing range would never have even known she had uttered a word, but I heard, and it made me freeze.

…

After I had plunged that wretched weapon into that girls stomach I knew I had done something wrong. My guy seized, and suddenly the voices in my head ceased until there was nothing but a deadly silence.

Ladybug was on the ground, curled up on her side with a large metal pole sticking out of her stomach. I couldn't see the other end come out her back, which meant it hadn't gone all the way through, which meant that there was always that slight possibility that she would live. Slight, however, was that possibility.

The fighting around us stopped completely, every person, good or bad, stared at the scene before them. Ladybug was down, Chat Noir was distracted, and yet, their master had no commands for them, nor was he trying to take what had been the goal all along.

My hands dropped to my side and I stood frozen in place, unable to move as Chat Noir rushed to his partners side with an inaudible scream apparent in his slightly parted lips. He cradled her in his arms, rocking her back and forth speaking words that I couldn't hear over the roar of my blood pumping out the rest of my adrenaline.

From the corner of my eye, a brilliant pink light illuminated the square beneath the tower. I looked up, shaking slightly from the effort. The guilt that ripped through me increased when my eyes found their mark.

Where Ladybug had been laying previously before, was Marinette Agreste.

Adrien's wife.

My heart shattered into thousands of pieces, feelings I never knew I had erupted inside me, sending my mind into a downwards spiral.

Marinette was Ladybug. Marinette was my son's wife, the mother of my grandson.

And she would die at my hands.

The murderous look in Chat Noir's eyes seemed like a fitting price, and I would do nothing to fight back. His pain matched mine now. We were equal. My fate stared me right in the eye through the end of a silver baton.

And then, she said his name.

...

The softness of her tone sent a small tangle of warmth down my spine. It was like magic, the way that all the anger suddenly melted away, vanishing into thin air around me. Her smile, her laugh, her bright blue eyes, they all came flooding back to me.

The nights on the balcony before we knew who we really were. When Chat Noir had a bad day and Marinette hugged him tightly to her chest, petting him to calm him. The date nights staring at the stars from her balcony, pointing out the constellations in the sky. The soft blue scarf that brushed my cheeks in the winter, the first time I held our child and he looked up at me with nothing but pure love.

My baton fell from my hands, clattering down into the rain-soaked ground. Then, I pressed the palm of my left hand into the ground beside Hawkmoth, sending a rumbling earthquake through the ground that stretched out past the legs of the Eiffel Tower and crushed all the stone to bits of pitch black rock.

Hawkmoth's eyes flooded with tears as I stood up and helped him up. He looked miserable, shoulders hunched, and face swollen. He collapsed back onto his knees and his arms clawed at his chest as though he were trying to rip out his heart. Rain splattered down around him, making him slip across the ground.

Then, he crawled to me, chest heaving with his sobs that made no noise. He grasped for my belt and used me to pull himself up, staring me right in the eyes.

And that's when I knew.

…

I gripped Chat Noir's belt, desperately grabbing for his attention. Everything I had done, every person I had hurt, and every deal I had made suddenly didn't matter anymore. The things I'd done to Chat Noir by putting his life in danger. The things I had done to his _family._ No. He wasn't Chat Noir anymore. He was _Adrien._ The thing's I had done to _Adrien_ and his _family._

His wife.

His wife was dying. Just like his mother.

Green eyes stared at me from beneath a black mask, melted of all anger and hatred, and instead filled with a sudden and terrifying understanding.

" _Dark wings, fall."_ I commanded in my head.

…

Hawkmoth was my father.

 **Hello fellow Miraculousers!**

 **Oh my gosh this story is coming to an end and I'm already starting to miss it :'(**

 **I just wanted to thank you guys real quick for being so amazing and loyal to the story. The more you guys support the story the more I just want to keep writing it.**

 **Also, I made an Ao3 account and have started to upload this story on it, so if you have an Ao3 account or have any friends who do please spread the word! I'd appreciate it so much!**

 **I love you guys and I'll be uploading the next chapter in about a week :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Immediately after Gabriel's transformation, the akuma victims fell and returned to their normal states, releasing a large strain of black butterflies into the sky. The people fell to the ground, confused and panicked.

Gabriel was still grabbing onto me, I took his hands and stood him up, keeping sharp eye contact with the man I once called my father. His hands shook vigorously beneath my grasp.

"Tikki," I uttered under my breath. "Take the earrings and give them to Alya. We need Ladybug." I felt Tiki's presence leave my side and float over to first, Marinette, then Alya, who transformed behind me. She touched my shoulder gently, comfortingly, for a mere second and then was gone.

Gabriel looked at me with sad, tired eyes. His glasses had slid down his nose a bit, and his tears were lost to the rain.

The reveal had left my insides twisted, I wasn't sure what to think. Especially with the way he was acting now, as if he _knew_ he made a mistake. However, the things he'd done, were unforgivable. The things he'd done to my family, and my town, it just wasn't something you could forget about overnight. I knew I couldn't act too drastically, he didn't know who I was after all, not yet anyway.

I unhooked my belt from around my waist and wrapped the tight leather around Gabriel's wrists, tying them together in a tight bind like handcuffs. He didn't make a single move to get away.

An ambulance sounded behind me, snapping my attention towards it. The town had been evacuated hours ago, it was strange to hear civilians again. However, I had never been more thankful to see a group that refused to leave. The survival of my team made sense to me now, people like this, they were heroes too.

Nino walked up to the ambulance and conversed with the driver while two other paramedics rounded the vehicle and opened the doors to pull out a gurney.

My heart sunk.

"Nino!" I called out. Nino jogged over, panting heavily with fatigue.

I placed Gabriel's hands in Ninos. "Watch him. Don't let him out of your sight." Nino nodded in understanding and took Gabriel from me. Turning around quickly, I ran halfway to Marinette's broken body, laying still in the rain. The paramedics had just reached her.

At the halfway mark between Gabriel and Marinette, I stole a glance back at Gabriel. I wanted to make sure he was watching, I wanted him to see the damage.

We made eye contact, his purple eyes meeting mine, then, I uttered the words, "Plagg, Claws in." A green light surrounded me, wind whipping around me in a frenzy as my mask, my suit, and my ears all melted away to reveal Adrien. Me.

Without waiting to see his reaction, I ran the rest of the way to Marinette.

…

Chat Noir stopped, I didn't think he would. But, when he turned around with that damaged look in his eyes I understood.

A bright green light surrounded Chat Noir and dissipated into the misty air, leaving Adrien standing in its wake.

I thought I had been broken before this. I thought I was already beaten to my core and put through the hellfire with my actions in the past few hours, but this was a whole new level of torture.

It ripped through me like lava, tearing my muscles and stomach to shreds, melting my insides into a boiling puddle of blood. The guilt, the terrible feeling of _I did this. I did this… to my family._

 _I tried to kill my son._

…

The paramedics had gotten Marinette up onto the gurney but before they could wheel her off, I stopped them.

Marinette blinked up at me, her eyes were starting to cloud over making it difficult for her to focus on me. She had lost so much blood to the 2-inch deep puddle at my feet. It soaked into the soles of my tennis shoes, squishing around in my socks. But, I couldn't focus on that.

Instead, I focused on Marinette's hands which were so cold and wet in mine. Her pale thumb traced itself over my knuckle shakily. Carefully, I tugged her hand up to my cheek, pressing her palm against my skin. We didn't say a word to each other, we didn't need to.

Marinette was still touching me when they pulled her away, refusing to let go until only our fingertips remained against each other's, and then the cold air replaced her touch.

The doors of the ambulance shut, closing her off from me.

 _Her parents._ I thought. _Her parents would want to know._

My heart started racing and my hands started shaking. I ran them through my hair to try to come myself down.

"I need a phone," I whispered, then, "I need a goddamn phone!" I screamed, voice echoing around the quiet square. Breathing heavily, I dropped to my knees, the reality of the last few hours settling in, embedding itself in my memories and in my heart. I sobbed into my hands, broken on the cobblestone beneath the tower. My heart had left in an ambulance, and I needed a goddamn phone.

…

Nino had tied me to a bar of the Eiffel Tower, keeping a watchful eye on me. I pressed my forehead against the cold wet metal, watching the sky blacken with storm clouds. The rain hadn't lightened any, and it didn't look like it was about to anytime soon.

Thunder rumbled in the distance.

Adrien screamed, and the world fell silent, but I didn't want to look. Didn't want to look at my disaster.

I just wanted my wife.

My eyes squeezed shut beneath my glasses, and like magic, she appeared on the backs of my eyelids.

Emilie's green eyes looked at me cheerfully, and her blonde hair was curled over her shoulder, just like it was every day. The sun bounced off her tan skin, illuminating the smile on her face.

She ran barefoot through the grass and the lavender dress she wore swayed back and forth as I stood and watched from the hill.

Adrien sat behind her on a green and white picnic blanket, waving at us with a strawberry plopped in his mouth.

Emilie waved back, then turned around to look at me. She raised her brow curiously at me, for I had not been following her.

 _Gabe, my_ papillon, _aren't you coming?_ She asked. Her voice was like melted chocolate to my ears.

I smiled at her, taking a step closer, _Of course, I just had to stop to smell the flowers._ I responded.

Emilie grabbed my hand, a light blush brushing her cheeks, I _love you, Gabriel._

I wished I could respond aloud, but instead, in my mind, I said, _I love you too, Emilie._

…

I was starting to get sick of crying, especially since the rain concealed them, making it feel as though I had never been crying at all. Like, I wasn't letting it out, even though I obviously was.

A brown-skinned hand touched my shoulder, and I looked up. Nino stood over me, still bound in his war uniform. He crouched down beside me and without a word, wrapped me in a tight hug.

My arms hung loosely around his shoulders, aching from even the smallest movements. Nino didn't say a word, just held me while I bawled into his shoulder, clutching him as tight as my muscles allowed.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed by the time I was able to stand again, but it had felt like hours, and Nino was careful to keep a hand on me until I could steady myself. Giving Nino a look of thanks, I took a determined step towards Gabriel.

Nino stopped me, grabbing my shoulder.

"Man, don't do this if you're not ready." He said with concern.

I shook my head, "I just want to talk, but first we need to move him to a more secure location. Will you help me?"

Nino nodded, then followed me to the spot Gabriel was tied too.

He was sitting with his hands tied to a high bar and his forehead against the cold steel, his eyes were closed.

I shook his shoulder, and his eyes snapped open, a warmth in them I hadn't seen in a long time. It made me angry.

"We're going to untie you," I swallowed thickly, taking in my fathers bruised features and prisoner-like appearance before continuing, "we're going to have to lock you in a prison cell."

Reaching up, I untied my Chat Noir belt and with the help of Nino, we got Gabriel into a vacant car. Using the com system, I got together a small team to travel with Gabriel across town. They sped off, and Ladybug approached me carefully.

"How are you?" Alya asked.

I sighed, "It doesn't matter. I need a phone. Can I use the yo-yo?"

Alya unhooked the yo-yo from around her waist and placed it in the palm of my hand, "I'll be over there when you're done." she said, then walked off to help an injured person.

Quickly, I dialed Marinette's parents number, biting back tears as their happy faces lit up the screen.

"Marinette!" Tom said gleefully. Then, immediately, his smile dropped. "Adrien, where is my daughter?"

I touched the bracelet on my wrist and took a deep breath, the next words out of my mouth were the hardest words I ever had to say.

"She- Marinette… she-" My voice broke, but no tears came. Sabine covered her mouth and tears welled up in her eyes. Hugo started crying in the background and Tom quickly excused himself to go check on him. Hugo's cry supported me somehow, giving me the little bit of strength, I needed to finish the sentence.

"Marinette was stabbed, she's headed to the hospital now. The town is safe, please Sabine, go see her. She needs you guys."

Tom came back with Hugo, who looked at me for a split second through the phone, his blue eyes lit up with happiness upon seeing me. I gave him a small wave.

Sabine grabbed Tom's shoulder and sobbed into it, he reached around her shoulders and ran his rough fingers through her hair comfortingly before turning back to the phone.

"We will see you at the hospital, Adrien." Tom said.

 _No,_ I thought, shaking my head. _There's business to take care of._

Tom seemed to read my mind because he said, "She'll only get better if she's surrounded by the people she loves, no matter the circumstances."

I paused for a moment, considering his words. _No matter the circumstances._

As long as Gabriel was locked up, Paris was safe.

As long as Gabriel was locked up, I could see Marinette. What did I tell Marinette? _Family comes first._

"I'll see you guys there."

 **Hello fellow Miraculousers!**

 **I have such a bad writers block :( So, this chapter is mostly filler, and also slower due to all the action of the last few chapters.**

 **Posting this chapter a little late because I've been working on designing a cover for this story. Are there any scenes that stand out to you guys that you think would make a great cover? (Without spoiling the story for others of course :) Let me know and I'll draw it up and play around with some ideas! Thank you, guys!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

After getting off the phone with Sabine and Tom, I made Nino promise to get half the team to set up some "Akuma Victim Help" booths with medical supplies, food, and water for those who lost their akuma's when Hawkmoth Fell and were stuck in the confusion of the aftermath of the war. Then, I quickly hotwired the closest car and sped off towards the hospital.

Turning the wheel of the car, I slipped into a small parking spot, not really bothering to keep the vehicle straight. The car engine shut off, leaving me to sit in silence.

The quiet was strange after hours upon hours of crashes, explosions, and yelling. Closing my eyes, I leaned back into the black leather seats of the car. Dull silence rang loudly in my ears, enough to drive a person crazy. After all that fighting, here I am sitting in a parking lot as though nothing's changed, yet, _everything_ has changed. My wife, my son, my father.

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. If I was an expert at anything, it would be change. No matter what would happen to Marinette, we would get through it.

Her optimism was finally starting to rub off on me after all these years.

Opening the door, I stepped out onto the pavement to immediately be doused in rainwater. The rain had not let up and looked as though it wouldn't for a long time. The clouds ahead were dark and black, even though it had to have been at least noon, it looked more as though it were midnight.

The hallways were abandon and empty, most of the patience and doctors had evacuated along with the rest of the town. However, one of the paramedics that had been there to pick Marinette up was standing at the front desk awaiting my arrival. He immediately leads me through a large set of double doors into the CCU where Marinette was laying down in a white room surrounded by clear glass windows and doors.

Tom and Sabine weren't here yet. Marinette was laying by herself in the hospital bed, small plastic tubes stuck out of one of her arms and strange wires were hooked to her chest to monitor her heart rate and blood pressure. Her skin was still very pale making the bags under her eyes stand out so much that for a terrifying moment it looked as though she were dead.

The paramedic slid open the glass door for me, and I walked through the entrance to Marinette's room, sliding the privacy curtain closed behind me.

Marinette opened her brilliant blue eyes and looked up at me.

"Mari," I whispered, rushing to her side. I grasped her hand tightly and didn't even try to hide the tears as they came down. Now it felt real, the despair within me. I could finally let it out and feel as though I were really letting it out. But the tears weren't heavy, or loud. It was quiet, contained. And Marinette simply wiped them away while all I could do was smile at her.

"You're alive," I could hear my voice cracking with emotion. Marinette slid her hand back into mine and gave it a light squeeze.

"I'm alive," she said. "Barely," she added, and with her free hand she pointed to one of the many blood bags hanging on a rod. I swallowed thickly before turning back to Marinette.

"Hugo will be here soon, so will your parents."

Marinette's eyes suddenly widened, "Hugo shouldn't be here. Hawkmoth-"

"Is locked up." I interrupted. "He's locked up, Nino and few others are with him to make sure he doesn't try to get out." The pain in my voice was inevitable. I wasn't sure if Marinette remembered who Hawkmoth's real identity was, she was in so much pain that it would've been easy for her to have missed the big reveal.

But, she remembered, "Gabriel... Are you okay?"

I laughed wetly, tucking a loose strand of Marinette's hair out of her face, "I should be asking you that question."

Marinette smiled shyly. She let go of my hand and carefully moved over to one side of the bed. I helped hold her various wires and tubes so that she wouldn't get tangled up in them, then I crawled into bed next to her.

We sat together on the bed, her back leaned against my back. I wrapped my arms around her torso and played with her hands, careful not to accidentally touch her wound.

While we sat, Marinette explained to me what the doctors had told her about her condition. Because the rod hadn't gone all the way through her torso and out her back, they were able to remove the rod and stitch her up. However, she had lost a lot of blood. Too much blood. They had been worried she wouldn't make it, and when she first arrived she had even gone into shock.

"I missed you," Marinette finished, rubbing her thumb over my knuckle. I placed a gentle kiss on top of her head.

"I missed you too."

…

The car ride to the jail was short. Nino, Alix, Juleka, and Kim stood watch over my cell since the police had evacuated. They all watched me intently, expecting me to make a move to try to escape.

I didn't move a muscle. Instead, I had found a nice spot on the hard, thin mattress to sit on, and a nice black hole in the wall to stare at.

This is what I deserved after all. Besides, how else was I supposed to make up for what I did?

Suddenly, a voice sounded in my head. Deep and raspy, vibrating through my skull.

"Gabriellllll," the voice purred.

 _Alderam._ I thought. An image appeared before me, shaken, as though it were a hologram. Alderam stood in his black hood, eyes trained downwards so I couldn't see his face.

Panic rose in my throat and I frantically looked around, but no one else seemed to notice Alderam. Kim was sitting on a chair with his feet up on the wall, throwing a small bouncy ball at the wall and catching it in his hand. Alix stood in front of the cell, watching me closely, as well as Nino. Juleka was leaning against a wall, looking as though she might fall asleep.

None of them appeared to see Alderam.

"Where have all your akuma's gone?" Alderam asked.

 _If you're asking, then you already know the answer._ I replied, training my eyes back onto the hole in the wall in my best attempt to ignore him.

"Well, Gabriel, since you've so obviously failed to hold up your end of the deal, I will have to take what is mine, and keep what has already been taken." Alderam held out his hand and a bright shimmer twitched in the hologram-like vision. My voice.

My hands wrapped around my throat, hoping, pleading with the universe to put my voice back. But Alderam's words were always final, he would take what we agreed I would owe him after my plan was executed. Even if my plan didn't get the right results.

"The _pin_ Gabriel. Give it to me."

I thought back to my family, Adrien, Hugo, Emilie. Could I really do this to them? Could I really hand Alderam the one weapon he needed to have the power he desired? The power that could do more harm than good?

 _No,_ I told Alderam. _You cannot have it._

Anger flashed between his beady yellow eyes from the dark emptiness of his hood. "Do you not understand how powerful I am, Gabriel? How asking you is simply a formality? I could easily swipe it from you, without hesitation."

 _Then swipe it._ I challenged. Alderam paused for a moment, quiet. His head tilted to the side a little with curiosity.

"You've got company. Let's see how this conversation goes…" Alderam trailed off but did not disappear. For a moment I wondered what he had meant, but then I heard a door open behind me. Looking up, I saw first, Ladybug, or Alya I guess. Followed by Adrien and Marinette.

She looked so pale, so bruised, yet she stood straight and kept a diligent stare. Her friends conversed, but all she did was watch me.

A bitter taste formed in my mouth.

Then, Adrien turned around, green eyes full of betrayal.

"Has he said anything yet?" He asked.

…

Sabine and Tom rushed into the hospital room, pulling back the privacy curtains dramatically to reveal their worried selves and a sleeping Hugo in his car seat. I immediately got out of bed and took Hugo from Tom, letting Marinette's parents have their moment with her.

He felt so light in my hands, lighter than I remembered. And his smile was planted on his cheeks at the sight of me, his father. My son.

Hugo sighed deeply in his sleep and rubbed his nose with the back of his hand lazily as though he were trying to itch it. It was hard to not smile at him. Hugo, with his pitch-black hair and splatter of freckles over his nose. Now that he wasn't so much of a newborn anymore, I could finally start to see some of his features that looked more like me. Like his chin, it looked just like mine. Round and slightly pointed at the end. His nose was more like mine than Marinette's too, the way it didn't swoop as much at the bridge.

I walked him over and set the car seat down on an empty table in the back of the room. Behind me, Marinette was telling Sabine and Tom exactly what she had told me about her wounds earlier. She was starting to sound more upbeat, more like Marinette. The edges around my heart seemed to soften at the familiarity of family, of love. The craziness of the past couple months had started to melt away.

But, there was still a problem. Locked away in a cell in the middle of Paris, kept watch under the eyes of the Miraculous Holders. Hawkmoth… Gabriel… He would be waiting for me.

Turning my head to the side, I looked at Marinette, who was slyly watching me from the side as her parents fretted over her medicine dosage and blood bags. She seemed to be reading my mind, the way that her eyes softened, and her hand twisted around the bracelet on her wrist, which had almost become a sign for us. One that said, I hear you, we're in this together. Like any understanding, half-dead wife would do, she was telling me it was okay to leave. We spent our time together, but there was one more thing on the list that needed to be taken care of to make sure Paris was safe for our son.

I was about to leave when Marinette said, "Let me come with you, Adrien."

Sabine and Tom stared wide-eyed at Marinette, who was already beginning to get out of bed.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm coming with," Marinette stated firmly. She grabbed her IV and Blood Bag cart and started wheeling it towards the door, stumbling a little as she used her legs for the first time in hours.

Immediately I went to her side to steady her. Marinette grabbed for my arm and heavily leaned her weight onto me.

I knew her all too well to know think she was joking. "Marinette," I started, huffing a little with supporting her weight. "Baby, I would love for you to come and help, but it won't do any good if you can't even stand right now. You need to heal."

"Tikki can help me, or Master Fu, I'm sure of it."

I grabbed Marinette's chin and tilted her head upwards to get her to look at me.

"Look at me bugaboo, you need rest."

"I _need_ to come with you," Marinette argued. "You shouldn't have to face Gabriel alone. This is a family matter anyway, we should _both_ be there."

Sabine gasped, "Gabriel?"

Looking behind me, at Sabine, I said, "Yes… He's…" I clenched a fist at my side and Sabine walked over hesitantly.

She placed a soft hand on my shoulder and looked up at me carefully, tears welling in her eyes, "I trust you, Adrien. Whatever you decide, whatever you _both_ decide, it's going to be what's best for our family. That includes nearly _all_ of Paris at this point as well."

"Thank you, mom." I said with a soft smile. Sabine gave my shoulder a light squeeze and went to grab Hugo.

Tom grabbed a medical pack and placed Marinette's IV and blood into it, then zipped it up and handed it to her.

"You're going to want an easier way to carry your life-support around." He joked, "this looks like it'll do."

"Are you guys sure you're okay with this?" Marinette asked, still clutching me for support.

Sabine and Tom nodded, "Just be safe, Hugo will still need his parents, after all."

"Okay," Marinette smiled. "I love you guys."

"We love you too sweetie, both of you."

Marinette and I left, slowly but surely. It was worry-some to me that Marinette was still hobbling as much as she was, and I knew as well as Tikki that there was nothing that Master Fu, or Tikki could do to help speed up the healing process. Marinette would have to heal properly, with the proper time, and the proper hygiene. Going to a dirty prison with an open wound wasn't exactly what I'd call "fast healing", but knowing Marinette, she wasn't going to back down from this.

We got to the prison in less than ten minutes, hurrying our way into the hall Gabriel was being kept in. Marinette had called Nino ahead of time Via intercoms to let him know we were on our way. Then, she got into contact with Alya and told her to meet us at the prison ASAP for support.

Alya arrived just after Marinette and I did, clad in Ladybug uniform. The first thing she did when she got there, was kiss Nino. Juleka broke the awkward silence that followed by coughing and announcing loudly that she had to use the bathroom.

When the pair finally separated, the air seemed colder, and the business seemed scarier. We were all there for one reason: to deal with Hawkmoth. The greatest supervillain known to man, who, just so happened to also be my father.

Steeling my nerves, I turned towards the cell. Gabriel was sitting on a cold steel prison bed with an arm handcuffed to the headboard. A large square of gauze was tapped to the side of his head which was swollen and purple from the beating he got from me after nearly killing Marinette. Maybe it was wrong, but I couldn't help but feel as though he had deserved it.

When I approached the bars of his cell, he looked up at me with a miserable stare.

An intense heat ignited in my stomach, "Has he said anything yet?" I asked through gritted teeth.

Nino answered, "No, nothing. He hasn't made a single sound come to think of it. Not a cough, or a sneeze, not even a snarky comment like in the movies."

"Hmm…" I thought for a moment. "Got a piece of paper and a pen?"

Kim found some paper in a desk and handed them to Nino, who then, handed the paper to me. Marinette pulled up a metal chair and sat down carefully, clutching her side as she did. Pain flashed in Gabriel's eyes at the sight of her, then he looked away.

After making sure Marinette was settled, I slid the paper and pen through the bars of the cell and asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

With sad eyes, Gabriel took the pen and scribbled down a few words. When he handed the paper back to me, I positioned it so that everyone could read it. I could feel Marinette tense up beside me.

 _When I took on the butterfly Miraculous, I knew what I would turn into. A monster. I didn't want you to see that side of me._

Anger rose in my throat as I shoved the paper back towards him.

"You were a monster to me anyway, what made this any different?"

He quickly scrawled out another sentence, _I thought I was protecting you._

I sighed, then carefully sat down on a free chair to be at eye level with my father. His purple eyes never broke eye contact as he wrote down his next words.

 _Is Marinette okay?_

"'Is Marinette okay?'" I repeated outloud, "Is Marinette- do you _really_ think you're in a position to be asking questions like that?" I spat. Marinette and Alya both placed hands on my shoulders, trying to calm me down.

Gabriel squinted his eyes and shook his head, almost distantly, as though he were reacting to a different conversation that only he could hear. That made me angrier.

Gabriel reached for the paper and I changed the subject.

"Why can't you talk?"

He shook his head again, but this time it was towards us. I could tell by the way he looked at me. Almost as if he were desperate to tell me something that he was forbidden to speak about.

Marinette decided to try something, "Gabriel, was letting loose the akuma's like that a plan to get the Ladybug and Chat Noir Miraculouses?"

Silence filled the room, nothing but the sound of pen scratching on paper.

Gabriel's next words sent a chill down my spine. Marinette read the words aloud, "'Yes, but I was only to use them temporarily. Then, I was supposed to give them up… to someone else.' What's that supposed to mean?"

Suddenly, Gabriel sat up with wide eyes, grasping for the paper that was still clutched in my hands. He scrunched his eyebrows together as he wrote, occasionally shaking his head as if he couldn't believe his own story. Finally, he put the pen down and waved the paper in front of my face, trying to get my attention.

It read, "'He's coming. He has all the Miraculouses. He plans to use them for things you could never imagine. He possesses powers like I've never seen. He stole my voice. Leave Paris before he gets to you, for he shows no mercy.'"

Then, a single name sprawled out over the whole back of the page, _Alderam. Alderam. Alderam. Alderam…_

And suddenly, Alya screamed. Blood splattered across the last pages Gabriel had written. Shocked, I looked up.

My father fell to the ground, a stab wound ripped through his chest, down to his stomach.

I dropped the paper and transformed quickly, using my cataclysm to destroy the prison cell bars and rush to my father's side.

He sat up carefully, shakily, and with a bloodied hand he reached out and touched my cheek.

It looked like he was trying to say something, but I couldn't see through my tears.

The only thing I could catch was "I love you," as his eyes glazed over, and his mouth hung loosely at the hinges of his jaw.

Once again, a hole formed in my heart where something I loved was supposed to go, and this time, this one wouldn't be filled again.

…

"Got a piece of paper and a pen?" Adrien asked. The kids shuffled around until someone slid a clean, crisp, white paper notepad and a black pen into my shaking hands.

Alderam smiled beside me, "Oh, this is going to be fun."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Adrien asked, voice shaking slightly. I bit my lip and scribbled down the truth. There was no point in lying anymore. Not to my son, not to my family, not to the world.

I was done with that, and it felt good to be done with that.

"You were a monster anyways, what made this different?" Adrien sounded really upset. It made my heart ache a little I willingly took the paper back and wrote some more.

Beside me, Alderam was already beginning to lose interest. "You know, I wasn't kidding when I said I could swipe the pin from you."

Ignoring him, I handed the paper back once more. The Team took a moment to consider my words, the anger in my son's eyes was obvious, however, Marinette was looking at me with an unreadable expression. When the paper was passed through the bars again, I asked what I knew I had no place to ask.

"Is Marinette- do you _really_ think…"

Once again, Alderam inturrupeted the lovely conversation I was having with my son.

"Give me the _pin,_ Gabriel. Or I will, indeed, take any means necessary to retrieve it from you."

It was very hard not to look at him, so I squinted my eyes tightly to the spot in front of me as my son ranted on, shaking my head tightly in response to Alderam's request. My hands gripped the sides of the steel bed until my knuckles turned white.

 _I will_ not. _I will do anything to keep my family safe, even if that means getting killed._

"Brave words coming from a dead-man's lip's. Even if you don't give it to me, I will find it, Gabriel." Alderam hummed. The realization had hit me then, that Alderam didn't know the pin was on me. He didn't know, that if he killed me, I would be buried with the pin, and it would never see the light of day again.

All he wanted was the pin, and he was only threatening my life, because he didn't know where it was.

I suddenly knew what I had to do to make it up to my son. I knew what was right. Here was my redemption, and I was going to take it.

Reaching for the paper again, I listened to what Adrien was asking me, a question. A question I ironically, couldn't answer.

Alderam spoke in my ear again, "Think this through, Gabriel. You're my greatest asset, my man on the field, second-in-command. Do you really want to give that up over some silly kid? Is the boy in front of you really worth this kind of sacrifice?"

Marinette had asked a question this time, so quickly, I wrote down a response. Something I knew would make Alderam angry.

Then I finally answered Alderam's question, keeping my smirk hidden beneathe my hand as I flashed the paper through the bars.

 _Yes._ _Kill me, Alderam._ Adrien would be safe.

"Any last words you'd like to say to your son then?" Alderam asked. "You've got sixty seconds. Go."

I desperately grabbed for the paper, sloppily scrawling out the last bit of information Adrien would need. A last warning, a last word. _Alderam. Alderam. Alderam. Alderam…_

Just as I passed the paper back over to the other side of the bars, Alderam took his staff and transformed it into a small golden dagger, slipping it between my ribs as though I were made of butter.

The pain was temporary, more like a pinch than a stab. I almost wanted to laugh because now, my son would be safe. He would stay safe. He and his whole family.

I only wish I could have met Hugo.

Adrien entered my cell, transformed as Chat Noir. Whatever anger he had pent up before, was completely gone now. His green eyes shone with fresh tears and his face was red and puffy.

"Keep her safe." I mouthed at Adrien. "Keep her safe, and never let your son go. I love you."

Darkness settled around me.

Silence rang in my ears.

Warmth left my body, pain ceased to exist.

And finally, my mind went blank.

Nothingness had greeted me with welcoming arms.

 **Hello Fellow Miraculousers!**

 **I've got two more chapters plans, then our journey, will sadly end…**

 **I've had so much fun writing this story though, and I'd like to continually (once again) thank everybody cause you guys are amazing.**

 **Editing is a little weird with this chapter, but I think you guys will like it. Sorry for such a late upload! Inspiration is hitting me like crazy lately though so the next chapter will be updated on time (if not sooner!)**

 **See you guys next week :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

 **[One Week Later]**

After much thought and confusion, we decided to give Gabriel a funeral.

He had used his last breath to warn us of a threat greater than any we had ever faced before. For that, for trying to protect his family, he was killed. That was good enough redemption for me, he deserved something after his death, and a short funeral seemed fair.

Nothing had happened since he was killed by who we assumed was Alderam, but that didn't mean that nothing was going to happen. In fact, the air around Paris had been stilled and cold such as the calm before the storm.

The feeling of evil made me fearful, all the way down to my core.

It was only Marinette, Hugo, and I at the funeral. Nathalie and my bodyguard had come as well but didn't stay for long. They were gone by the time they had lowered my father into his grave.

After throwing the first patch of dirt over his coffin, I had decided to say a few short words.

"Gabriel, only a coward speaks ill of one after their death, but since you died before I got the chance to tell you how I really felt about you, here goes."

Marinette touched my shoulder with concern in her eyes, Hugo on her hip looking at me with his bright blue eyes. But, I knew what I was doing. Even if it didn't seem fair at first.

Brushing the hair out of my eyes, I continued, "Look, you were a piece of shit father after mom died, and you spent too much of your life trying to get her back. I wasn't enough for you, I never was. Maybe you spent too much of your life trying to get mom back, but I also spent too much of my life trying to be like her, just to get you to notice me for once. We should never have had to chase circles around each other like that. Never.

"Now, having said that, I loved you. Dammit, I loved you, because you're family. And your sacrifice for this family will be honored, father. Rest in Peace."

After that, we went home. Home Sweet Home. On the car ride there, I couldn't help but think of the Butterfly Miraculous. Master Fu had wanted to take the Butterfly Miraculous back and keep it safe in his box. It had felt wrong to me though, if Alderam had all the Miraculouses besides mine, Marinette's, and fathers, those would be the three he would seek after with his life. So, I convinced Master Fu to allow me to bury the pin with my father, at the base of his suit's collar. If we ever needed it, we knew where to look, however, no one else would think to go looking where the dead lie.

That just left the Ladybug and Chat Noir Miraculouses. Keeping them in the same place as the Butterfly Miraculous would've been stupid. There was no point. All the other Miraculouses had been taken after the war, magically disappeared as though Alderam had come and stolen them in our sleep. Or, maybe during the war. No one could exactly pinpoint the moment their Miraculouses had left them, so it was difficult to say how soon it would be before Alderam would take ours.

The Chat Noir ring was currently hidden in plain sight. All the best hiding places usually were hidden that way. We had ordered a small memorial piece for beneath the Eiffel Tower, and included the ring in its design. It sat in the middle of the square with hundreds upon hundreds of different security levels, each more dangerous than the last. Metal detectors, cameras, trip wires, underground cages, fake floors, practically anything you could think of. Only Marinette, Master Fu and I knew of the passcode to deactivate the security measures, no one was getting near the memorial piece. Ever.

The memorial piece was Max and Nathaniel's design. It was a small statue that depicted a replica of every single Miraculous put into one, except the Chat Noir ring, which was real whereas the others were not. The piece had six "pressure points" as Max called them, and if you hit one of these pressure points, alarms would blare, and a set of cuffs would erupt from the base of the piece and trap you on the spot. Kim wanted to include a dart gun, but with all the extensive measures we had already taken, we decided against it.

The Ladybug earrings, however, were given back to Master Fu. He wanted to keep at least one. Marinette knew that Master Fu would protect the earrings with his life, so there was no second guessing on that decision.

Because we didn't want to draw attention to ourselves, we never used the Miraculous spell to clean up the city, instead, Alya and Nino had organized a clean-up crew. Two ex-miraculous holders to a group of civilians would come out on their groups scheduled time to clean up a certain block in Paris. It was a nice way to rebuild and start anew.

It was around ten o'clock at night when Marinette pulled the car into the driveway of our home. One of us had left the kitchen light on, who knew exactly who did it, but through the window, I could see the pile of dishes sitting in the sink just waiting to be washed. The same dishes that were there yesterday, and the day before.

I looked over at Marinette, who was turning the engine key to shut off the car. It was scary how much she was able to blend in with the dark night, with her black clothes from the funeral and her shadowed face just out of reach of the automatic porch light. The bags underneath her eyes were more than noticeable, as was the permanent frown that rested at her lips these days. I reached over and touched the tip of her chin to get her to look at me. When her eyes found mine, they were full of sadness and longing.

I traced my fingers along her jawline before dropping my hand and intertwining my fingers with hers.

Hugo fussed a little in the back because the car had stopped, and Marinette had made a move to get out of the car, making the porch light shine brightly on her pale face for just a moment, but I held tightly to her hand and looked her straight in the eye.

"Marinette, we _will_ get through this," I said determinedly.

Marinette wiped a small tear from her eye and sank back down into her leather seat, shrinking back down into the shadows of the car where the porch light couldn't quite reach. Her freehand wrapped around her waist and touched her side, right where her wound was still healing.

With a shaky breath, she whispered, "It's just so _hard_."

I squeezed her hand comfortingly, "I know."

"How are we supposed to put on a brave face for Hugo when we're still surrounded by the wreckage of war? How are we supposed to go back to normal?"

"Princess, we just have to take it day by day."

Marinette looked at me then, her eyes tired and bloodshot, her voice straining not to break, "How're you supposed to forgive me for keeping you from your father all those months?"

My heart stopped, but my answer was instantaneous nonetheless.

"Is that what you think, Mari? Cause I don't see it that way."

Marinette got out of the car and shut the door, I was right behind her, looking up over the roof of the car to see her face which was once again illuminated by the yellow glowing porch light.

"The way I see it," I continued, "Is that you were trying to protect us. And you did the right thing. My father was _the bad guy._ You were right to keep me from him."

Marinette stopped, and took a long, deep breath before responding, "You loved him, just like I love my parents. I would hate to be kept from them. I would _hate_ to be away from them, no matter who they were."

Shaking my head, I rounded the car to be on the same side as her.

"Marinette, Gabriel was a _villain._ He saved us this one time, sacrificed himself this one time. That is the most love he's returned to me since my mother died. I could _never_ hate you for keeping our family safe. Do you understand that? Please tell me you understand." I begged desperately. The way she was talking now made my muscles weak and my heart beat in erratic measures. I needed to help bring my wife back from the depths of her mind.

Marinette took the few steps she needed to reach me, and touched her hand to my cheek carefully, a whisper of a touch that sent a newfound warmth through my body and made my skin melt against her fingertips.

Then, she wrapped me in a hug. The tightest hug I could ever imagine. It felt as though she would never let go.

I felt Marinette's jaw move against my chest, and I smiled at her words.

"You know why I love you, Adrien? I love you because you always see the good in the world. Even after all that we've been through the past year, even with the childhood you've had, you always do good. That's what I want Hugo to be like one day, I'm glad you're his father. I'm glad you're my husband."

And I don't remember how long we stood enveloped in that hug, but holding Marinette in my arms, and feeling her smile against my chest for the first time in seven days, renewed that feeling that we would be okay. From here on out, our family would be stronger, and our team would be stronger, and Paris itself would be stronger. Next time, no one would get hurt.

Next time, I would kill Alderam myself.

 **[One month later]**

Valentine's day was tomorrow, and Hugo was crawling all over the place now, making it nearly impossible to plan something sweet for Marinette.

I mean, we could hardly keep up with him. His black hair was growing so fast it covered his eyes, so when he crawled around he was constantly running into things. Marinette would tell me that I needed to cut his hair since I knew how a man's haircut should look, but I had no idea where to even begin. As a result, his hair was over his eyes, and Marinette and I were continuously chasing after him to keep him from crashing into countless objects.

Luckily, mom and dad had decided that since Valentine's day was coming up, (and since they both knew how to cut a baby's hair) they would take him for the weekend to give Marinette and I some alone time, and Hugo a much-needed groom.

Paris was finally back to normal, well, as normal as it could be. No one had tried to break into the square beneath the Eiffel tower, and there were no reports of a crazy man named Alderam on the news anywhere.

It was time for a much-needed date between Marinette and I, and her parents were just amazing enough to know exactly that.

Around four o'clock in the afternoon, mom and dad picked up Hugo and left for the weekend. I felt guilty for being happy about taking a break from such a rambunctious little scamp, but I knew I would see him again soon.

When the door shut, I turned to Marinette, who yawned loudly into her hand.

I frowned at her, "What was that?"

"What was what?" Marinette asked, turning towards the kitchen. I followed right behind her, barely keeping any space between us and nearly stepping on her toes when she turned around to get a clean glass.

"Would you move, Chat? Jeez, you're as bad as Hugo…" she muttered.

"That yawn! You can't be yawning! We've got to do romantic Valentine's day stuff remember?"

Marinette turned on the sink water and let the tap run until the water was cold enough for her. "Valentine's day is tomorrow; can't we just watch a movie and go to bed early tonight or something?" She ran the glass under the stream of water until it was full then shut the tap off.

I pouted at Mari and said, "But, Princess, it's been _forever_ since we've had a date night. Hugo's only going to be gone for two days, the romanticizing has to start ASAP."

Marinette took a sip of the water before putting the glass down on the counter. She smiled at me slyly.

"ASAP, huh?" She questioned flirtatiously.

I stopped short, and rubbed the back of my neck nervously, not expecting her to give in so easily. "Uh, yeah. You know, late night dinner, a bed of roses, stuff like that."

Marinette took a step closer to me and put a hand on my chest, I sucked in a breath. Her sudden change of mood was becoming _very_ dangerous _very_ quickly.

"Mmhmm, and what did you have planned for tomorrow, _kitty_?" She stood up on her tiptoes and wrapped her free hand around to the back of my neck, fingering the hair at the base of my neck while pulling me _that_ much closer to her.

I grinned brightly, rubbing my nose against hers playfully, "I figured you could decide that part. We can spoil each other equally that way." I purred deep down in my chest the best I could without the Chat Noir ring to help. Marinette's heart hammered against her chest, I could feel it through our pressed bodies.

"Right…" she trailed off, brushing her lips against mine in an almost-kiss. "But, before the romanticizing starts, how about we…" Marinette trailed a hand down to the base of my shirt and gave it a little tug upwards before continuing, "Change out of these clothes…" She ripped my shirt off and I swear my heart jumped out of my chest. Then, she pushed me up against the counter and leaned closer to me, "And put on some pajamas…"

Alright, she lost me there for a second. Pajamas? What was she talking about?

"And curl up in bed…" She continued, rubbing the palm of her hand against my chest distractingly and whispering in my ear. "And go to sleep because our child has made me _fucking exhausted_." Marinette took a step backward over my disregarded t-shirt and grabbed her water off the counter in one swift motion. She strutted up the stairs without even a second glance at me.

I stood, leaning against the counter for a couple minutes trying to regain the ability to breathe. That girl was good, no doubt about that.

Sighing, I scooped up my t-shirt from the floor, grabbed the nearest movie I could find, and jogged upstairs.

Marinette had already changed and was climbing into bed when I entered the bedroom. She smiled at me coyly as I put the DVD into the DVD player.

"Don't give me that look, babe."

"What look?" Marinette asked innocently.

I turned and stripped my pants off before getting into bed next to Marinette, who still had that look on her face.

" _That_ look," I said pointedly.

"Fine, but you got to admit, that was good."

"It's the same move you pulled on our first Valentine's day together, I fell for it then too…" I muttered grudgingly.

Marinette laughed, a sound that filled the room with light, "I forgot about that, that was hilarious."

I couldn't help but smile as I said, "For you maybe."

Marinette inched closer to me and gave me a deep, sultry kiss. As we separated she said, "I love you, but sleep is calling my name."

Without opening my eyes, I said, "Me too."

It wasn't long before I was woken up again. By the thrashing body of Marinette. Old instincts kicked in and I jumped out of bed, taking on a fighting stance, looking wildly around the darkness of the room desperately trying to get my eyes to adjust to the threat, but only Marinette was in the room with me, and she was flailing about in her sleep, screaming out for me.

"Adrien no! Please come back to me!"

Recovering quickly, I got back in bed and pinned her arms down speaking soothingly in her ears.

"Shhh, Marinette I'm right here. Wake up, please. I'm right here." Gosh, she was strong. I could already feel the bruises forming on my legs where she was kicking me.

"Come back to me please!"

"Marinette wake up!" I tried again, this time, she calmed down a bit. Settling back into the depths of sleep.

Whatever she was dreaming about, it couldn't have been good, and it wasn't until months later that she told me what that dream was about.

And it was then that she could only use one word to describe it: Alderam.

 **Hello Fellow Miraculousers! This is the LAST CHAPTER to this crazy story, however, I will be posting and Epilouge soon so stay tuned! Thank you all so much, I love you guys.**


	17. Epilouge

**Epilogue**

I dressed myself in the dark cloak that had kept my face secret for so many years. Pulling the hood up over my head with my gnarled fingers and rotting skin, I disgusted even myself, but it is the price I chose to pay for the magic of which I beheld.

It was a shame that so many months had to pass before I could regain myself. After Gabriel's little fiasco, my plan was unable to be complete on time. It's taken me _months_ to get back to where I was. The anger towards Gabriel was bitter, distasteful. You could never trust a human. Not that I wasn't one once, but that is how I know you can never trust them.

The moon filtered in through the blinds of the building I was in. It was time. The moon was at its highest, if I stood here a second longer, my plan would fail.

That first step out into the open threshold of the building was the first step to completing my long-awaited plan for Absolute Power. Every single Miraculous, and the Egyptian magic written in invisible ink within the scroll Gabriel had returned to me before his death.

All I needed to do, was get the remaining three Miraculouses, and they've hidden one right in this building.

Opening the wooden door revealed a sleeping old man, curled up on a small mat surrounded by books as though he had dropped from exhaustion. That, however, only made my job easier. A man who cannot choose when to sleep, is a man who has no senses at all.

I plunged my staff into the floorboards of the room and summoned the darkest magic I could. This one would be worth the power I had to emit.

Blood soaked the old man's fresh clothing in seconds, seeping deeper and deeper into the cotton fibers of his shirt. I took a step over the man's broken body with a greedy smile curled upon my lips and walked right up to the black and red, ancient Chinese box.

Reaching into the hallowed shell of the box, my heavy fingers wrapped around the object I had come here for. I now possessed one of the most _powerful_ Miraculouses, the yang, the Ladybug, the Power of Creation.

"One down, two to go." I chuckled.

 _ **THE END**_

… **.**

 **Hello Fellow Miraculousers! Or should I say goodbye. This will be the very last chapter I ever add to this story :( I LOVE ALL of the feedback you guys have given me, and I do plan on writing more fanfiction for this fandom in the future if you are interested :D**

 **Love you guys! Thank you for all your support on this story!**


	18. SEQUEL ANNOUNCEMENT

*****SEQUEL ANNOUNCEMENT*****

Hello fellow Miraculousers!

I've been getting lots of comments about whether-or-not I will be writing a sequel on Ao3…

And if enough of you would like me to write a sequel, I would be more than willing to write one :D

Comment bellow or message me if you would like a sequel, and in the mean time I will start planning the outline.

If you don't want a sequel or if I don't end up writing one don't worry though, I have plenty more stories for this fandom to go around. Especially with the new episode to give me fresh inspiration.

Thank you guys so much for your support! Love you all!


	19. Love and War Sequel Light and Dark

**Love and War sequel is titled Light and Dark:**

Hello Fellow Miraculousers! The first chapter to the Love and War sequel Light and Dark is now up!

Thank you guys so much for keeping me going through Love and War and for encouraging me to write a sequel. Enjoy the new story as it comes out!

Love you all!

-N


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